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THE  CAPTIVKS, 


■BY- 


JAMES  LEANDER  CATHCART. 


Eleven  Years  a  Prisoner  in  Algiers. 


COMPILED    BY 


HIS    DAUGHTER, 


J.  B.  NEWKIRK. 


Herald  Print,  t,a  Porte,  Ind. 


HCMllY  morse:  srrPHEMS 


PREFACE 


This  journal  was  commenced  one  hundred  and 
twelve  years  ago  by  a  youth  of  seventeen  years  of 
age,  who  had  been  taken  prisoner  by  the  British 
when  a  midshipman  on  board  the  United  States 
Frigate,  Confederacy,  Capt,  Seth  Harding,  and  car- 
ried into  New  York  with  most  of  the  prisoners,  on 
board  first  the  Good  Hope  and  then  on  the  old 
prison  ships  where  he  remained  till,  with  a  fellow 
prisoner,  he  made  his  escape  and  found  employment 
in  the  merchant  service.  The  Maria  of  Boston,  on 
which  he  embarked,  was  captured  by  the  Algerines 
July  25,  1785,  three  miles  southeast  of  Cape  St.  Vin- 
cent, this  being  the  first  American  vessel  captured 
by  those  Pirates  An  indomitable  spirit  of  patriotism 
enabled  him  to  rise  from  abject  slavery  to  become 
Christian  clerk  to  the  Dey  of  Algiers,  being  the 
medium  to  approach  the  Dey  when  the  Ambassadors 
could  not  gain  an  audience.  In  1796  he  came  back 
to  the  United  States,  at  his  own  expense,  with  dis- 
patches and  to  select  the  articles  to  secure  the  peace. 
The  government  employed  him  about  two  years  in 
Philadelphia,  when  he  was  sent  back  to  the  Mediter- 
ranean  as   Consul    General   to   Algiers,   Tunis   and 


508969 


IV  PREFACE. 

Tripoli.  When  war  was  declared  by  Tripoli  against 
the  United  States  he  was  sent  as  Consul  to  Leghorn 
where  he  remained  several  years,  spending  about 
nine  years  in  these  different  places.  He  returned  to 
the  United  States  in  1805.  In  1807  he  was  appointed 
Consul  to  Madeira  where  he  remained  nine  years 
when  he  returned  to  Washington,  D.  C,  and  soon 
after  went  as  Consul  to  Cadiz  where  he  remained 
nearly  three  years  and  was  next  employed  as  United 
States  agent  in  Louisiana,  and  from  1823  to  1843  was 
employed  in  the  Second  Comptroller's  office,  Wash- 
ington, D.  C.  So  faithful  to  his  country  and  family, 
he  never  took  a  summer  vacation  till  the  year  he 
died,  passing  away  Oct.  6,  1843.  After  spending 
their  lives  in  three  quarters  of  the  globe  his  devoted 
companion  followed  him  to  their  blessed  home  in 
less  than  four  months. 


JAMES  LEANDER  CATHCART. 


f^ 


JANE  B.  CATHCART. 


ANCESTRY 


My  family  surname  is  taken  from  the  lands  and 
Barony  of  Kethcart  in  the  county  of  Renfrew  where 
now  is  the  town  of  Cathcart,  Scotland.  The  founder 
of  the  family,  from  whom  I  am  descended,  was  Col. 
Gabriel  Cathcart  who  went  over  to  Ireland  with 
the  Rev.  Malcolm  Hamilton  (afterwards  Bishop  of 
Cashel)  in  the  year  1641 — said  Gabriel  married  Annie 
Hamilton,  daughter  of  the  Bishop  of  Cashel,  by 
whom  he  had  eleven  sons  and  several  daughters,  he 
(Gabriel)  with  six  of  his  sons  was  killed  at  the  battle 
of  Aughrim,  A.  D.,  1691.  Malcolm  Cathcart  (son  of 
Gabriel)  my  great  grandfather,  survived  and  married 
Mary,  daughter  of  Sir  James  Caldwell,  and  lived  to 
the  extraordinary  age  of  116  years.  His  son,  James, 
my  grandfather,  and,  after  whom  I  am  named,  was  a 
captain  in  the  British  army,  and  was  killed  in  battle 
under  the  Duke  of  Cumberland  in  the  year  1745. 
He  left  two  children,  my  father,  Malcolm  Hamilton 
Cathcart,  who  was  born  at  Persfield,  in  the  county  of 
West  Meath,  in  the  year  1736,  and  Eliza,  married  to 
Mr.  Sullivan,  whom  I  never  knew.  My  grandfather 
married  the  niece  of  Andrew  Wilson,  the  founder  of 
Wilson's  Hospital  in  Ireland.     My  father  married  the 


X  ANCESTRY. 

daughter  of  Edward  Humphreys,  Esq.,  of  Dublin. 
My  eldest  brother,  Rolleston  Nassau  Cathcart,  was 
born  at  Mount  Murragh,  in  the  county  of  WestMeath, 
September  22,  1763.  I  was  born  at  the  same  place 
June  I,  1767.  I  came  to  America  at  a  very  early  age, 
my  father  having  placed  me  under  the  care  of  a  rela- 
tive, Capt.  John  Cathcart,  with  whom  I  followed  the 
sea  for  several  years  till  he  placed  me  as  midshipman 
on  board  the  U.  S.  Frigate,  the  Confederacy,  then 
commanded  by  Capt.  Seth  Harding. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

VPolitical  State  of  Affairs  in  1785;  Don  Antonio's  Expedition 
Against  Alg-iers;  Peace  with  Spain  Resolved  on  by  Mahom- 
ed Bashaw;  Peace  with  Spain  Concluded  1785;  Arrival  of 
Consul  Lo^ie,  April  1785;  Advice  of  British  Consul  Logie  to 
the  Dey;  Logic's  Advise  Favorable  to  the  Cruisers;  Firsts 
Depredations  on  the  Commerce  of  the  United  States;  Cap- 
ture of  the  Maria  of  Boston  and  Dauphin  of  Philadelphia. 

CHAPTER.  H. 

Economy  of  the  Dey's  Palace;  Limited  Priviledges  of  the 
Slaves;  Scarcity  of  Food  in  the  Palace  Garden;  Arrival  of 
the  Cruiser  that  Captured  the  Dauphin;  Cruelty  and 
Injustice;  The  Dey's  Cowardice;  I  am  Called  the  "False 
Priest;"  Feast  of  Aydel  Cabir;  Persecuted  by  the  Chamber- 
lains; Repetition  of  Cruel  Bastinadoing;  Sidi  Mahomed 
Turns  Alchemist;  His  Genteel  Apostrophe  to  Me. 

CHAPTER  HL 

Commodore  Lamb's  Arrival  at  Algiers;  Mr.  Woulfe  welly/ 
Calculate  to  Negotiate  with  the  Barbary  Powers;  Reasons 
why  he  ought  to  have  been  Preferred;  Mr.  VVoulfe's 
Advice  to  Mr.  Lamb  not  Attended  To;  The  Count  Expilley 
and  French  Consul  Differ  in  Opinion  from  Mr.  Woulfe; 
Mr.  Lamb  takes  their  Advise  who  Refuses  to  Intercede 
with  the  Dey  to  Permit  him  to  Deliver  his  Credentials  as 
Negotiator  of  Peace;  Mr.  Lamb's  Different  Audiences 
Mentioned. 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Arrival  of  two  Prizes;  Expelled  from  the  Palace  Garden; 
Reflections  on  Commodore's  Negotians;  State  of  my 
Finances  and  Wardrobe;  Perquisites  of  Slaves;  Apostrophe 
of  Salah  Bey;  Arrival  at  the  Slave  Prison  Bagnio  Belique; 
Character  of  the  Chief  Guardian;  We  have  Iron  Rings  put 
upon  our  Legs  and  are  Registered  in  the  Books  of  the 
Prison;  Description  of  the  several  Prisons;  Greatest  Mor- 
tality in  Bagnio  de  Galera  during  the  Plague;  Reflections 
on  the  Conduct  of  different  Nations  towards  Barbary 
States;  Presented  to  the  Vikilharche  or  Intendant  General 
who  afterwards  was  Hassan  Bashaw,  Dey  of  Algiers;  I  am 
sent  to  the  Carpenter's  Shop;  No  rest  for  the  Slaves;  Bad 
Provisions;  Manner  of  Keeping  their  Gunboats  in  time  of 
War. 


Xll  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  V. 


Site  of  the  City  of  Algiers;  Marine  Fortifications  and  Navy 
Yard;  Court  of  Admiralty;  Causeway;  Mosque;  Light 
House;  Castle  Built  by  the  Spaniards;  Point  Battery;  Vikil- 
harche's  Seat;  Mode  of  Dining;  Marine  Workshops;  Large 
Cannon;  Fitting  and  Laying  up  Cruisers;  Pontoons;  Gate 
of  the  City;  Fortifications;  Beautiful  Prospect  of  Algiers 
from  the  Head  of  the  Bay;  Castle  of  Siddi  Akoleet;  Star 
Castle;  Mussulman's  Cemetery;  The  Seven  Cupolas;  Chris- 
tian's Cemetery-;   Jews'  Cemetery;    Naval  Force  Described. 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Description  of  the  Dey's  Palace;  Place  where  the  Christians 
are  Beheaded  before  the  Gate  of  the  Palace;  Privilege  of 
the  Chain;  Palace  Court  Yard  Stair  Case;  Dey's  Throne  or 
Seat;  Doors  of  the  Treasury;  Armory;  Blacksmith  Shops; 
Slaughter  House;  A  Family  of  Cats;  Kitchen  and  Chief 
Cook's  Seat;  Upper  Gallery;  Slaves  Quarters;  Seraglio  of 
BobbaAly;  Excellent  Water;  Dey's  Bagnio;  Manner  of 
Bathing;  Garden  Described;  Wild  Animals;  Pigeons;  Dey 
and  Chamberlain's  Apartments;  New  Additions  by  Hassan 
Bashaw;  Furniture  and  Ornaments;  Dey's  Treasury;  Dey's 
Mosque,  and  Great  Mosque  Described;  Public  Schools;  Per- 
fection in  Arabic  Characters  in  some  Copies  of  the  Koran; 
Casarias  or  Turkish  Barracks;  Description  of  Roman  Cath- 
olic Institutions;  The  Hospital  Established  by  the  Spaniards 
and  the  Ospreio  by  the  French — Both  Charitable  Institu- 
tions; Benevolence  of  Father  Joseph. 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Continuance  of  My  Situation;  Changed  from  Bagnio  Belique 
to  Bagnio  Galera;  Put  to  Hardest  Labor;  Abuse  of  the 
Guardians;  The  Plague  upon  Us;  Distress  of  Slaves  from 
Oran;  Giavorni  de  la  Cruz  Appointed  Clerk  of  Marine; 
j  Myself  Coffeegie  to  Vikilharche;  My  Friend  Died  of  the 
!  Plague;  I  am  Appointed  Clerk  of  the  Marine;  Next  Ap- 
pointed Clerk  of  Bagnio  Gallera;  Duties  Described. 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
Reception  of  the  Bey  of  Constantine;  Horrible  Execution  of 
the  Hasnagi  or  Prime  Minister;  Barbarous  Treatment  of 
his  Wife;  Hassan  Bashaw  takes  Refuge  in  the  Maraboot 
Sanctuary;  Power  of  Mansour  Shiek  and  Grand  Maraboot 
of  the  Mountain  Arabs. 

CHAPTER  IX. 
How  I  had  Means  to  Assist  my  Fellow  Sufferers;  The  Plague 
Raged  all  this  Year;  The  Slaves  are  Overworked;  My 
Trouble  on  Account  of  two  Turks  Quarrelling,  and  one 
being  Killed;  Treachery  of  Cara  Burmuz;  Soliloquy;  Third 
Affair  was  in  Regard  to  their  Religion;  They  set  a   Trap 


CONTENTS,  Xlll 


for  me  to  Commit  Myself;  The  Dey^Ad vises  them  to  let 
the  Americans  Alone;  An  Account  of  the  Death  of  Mahomet 
Bashaw,  Dey  of  Algiers;  Order  of  Precedency;  My  Letter 
to  the  British  Surgeon;  Letter  to  Capt.  O'Brien;  Invocation; 
Appointed  Secretary  to  the  Dey  and  Regency  of  Algiers. 

CHAPTER  X, 

Announcement  of  Mr.  Donaldson's  Arrival  at  Alicant;  The  , 
Dey  Grants  a  Passport  for  him  to  Come  to  Algiers;  Con- 
versation with  the  French  Consul;  Situation  of  the  United 
States  at  this  Time;  Reasons  why  the  Swedes  did  not 
Espouse  our  Cause  Publicly;  I  Procure  a  House  from  the 
Dey  for  Mr.  Donaldson;  I  Suggest  the  Terms  on  which  the 
United  States  will  Make  Peace;  Donaldson's  Arrival  at 
Algiers;  I  put  Mr.  Donaldon  in  Possession  of  my  Journals, 
Correspondence,  Etc. 

CHAPTER  XL 
Mr.  Donaldson  obtains  his  first  Audience  from  the  Dey;  { 
The  Dey  gives  me  Orders  to  take  the  Last  Year's  Terms 
Number  One  to  Mr.  Donaldson  to  the  Amount  of  $2,247,000; 
I  Present  Mr,  Donaldson's  Proposals  Number  Two  to  the 
Dey;  His  Treatment;  The  Result;  The  French  Consul's 
Villainy;  The  Dey  Rejects  Mr.  Donaldson's  Proposals; 
Mr.  Donaldson  Refuses  to  make  any  Addition  to  his  first 
Offer;  I  am  called  by  the  Dey  and  by  my  Arguments  Pro- 
duced Terms  Number  Three  which  Donaldson  Rejects; 
His  Indifference  to  my  Fate;  My  Retort;  I  take  Mr,  Don- 
aldson's Answer  to  the  Dey;  Am  Abused  and  Threatened; 
Donaldson  is  Ordered  to  Leave  the  Country;  Arguments 
used  to  Persuade  Donaldson  not  to  Break  off  the  Negotia- 
tions; He  is  Convinced  by  my  Exertions  and  makes  Pro- 
posal Number  Four  to  the  Dey;  I  Request  the  Dey  to  Per- 
mit the  Captives  to  be  Redeemed,  in  order  to  Persuade 
him,  that  we  had  given  up  all  Idea  of  Peace  if  he  Re- 
jected the  Terms  now  Presented  to  Him.  W 

CHAPTER  XII. 
Mr.  Donaldson's  Second  Visit  to  the  Dey;   Peace  Established  i\ 
in  Consequence  of  Deducting  $60,000  from  the  Cash  Pay- 
ment;   Terms  of  Peace  and  Ransom  Confirmed;    Conversa- 
tion at  Donaldson's  Second  Audience;    Donaldson  Refuses 
to   take   our  Countrymen  from  Hard    Labor;    Indifference 
about  their  Becoming  Mussulmen;  American  Flag  Saluted 
and  Peace  Proclaimed;  .1  Congratulate  Mr.  Donaldson  and 
Procure  Permission  for  O'Brien  to  be  the    Bearer  of   the 
Treaty;  I  make  the  first  Treaty  of  Peace  with  the  Secretary 
of  State,  Signed  by  Mr.  Donaldson,  and  Procure  four  Pass- 
ports; I  Remind  the  Dey  of  his  Promise  to  use  his  Influ- 
ence with  Tunis  and  Tripoli  for  us  to  Procure  a  Peace  on 
Favorable   Terms;    I    Introduce  O'Brien  for  the  first  time   \ 
to  the  Dey.  — ^ 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

Situation  of  their  Foreign  Relations;  Overtures  made  to  me 
which  I  Refused  with  Disdain;  The  French  Consul  In- 
forms the  Dey  that  Mr.  Donaldson  had  Carte  Blanche; 
Fallacy  of  Depending  on  the  Influence  of  France  to  Effect 
a  Pacification  with  the  Barbary  States;  She  Opposes  our 
Interest;  Arrival  of  Mr.  Monroe  at  Paris;  State  of  Affairs; 
Mr.  Monroe  did  not  Enjoy  the  Confidence  of  the  Peace 
Government;  Reasons  Assigned  why  France  did  not 
Fulfill  the  Stipulations  Contained  in  the  Article  of  the 
Treaty  of  1778  in  Relation  to  the  Barbary  States;  Jay's 
Treaty  with  England  Arrives  in  France;  Ratified  by  the 
Senate;  National  Convention  Dissolved;  Fanchet  Arrives 
in  France;  President's  Address  Received  in  Paris;  The 
House  of  Representatives  Agrees  to  Carry  the  Treaty  into 
Effect;  I  Procure  a  Truce  for  Eight  Months;  Presents 
Brought  by  Mr.  Barlow  not  Satisfactory;  Reasons  for 
the  Opposition  we  met  with  from  the  Agents  of  Spain; 
Under  all  the  Difficulties  the  task  I  had  to  Perform  was 
an  Arduous  One. 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Mr.  Donaldson  Retired  to  the  Swedish  Consul's  Country  Seat; 
We  were  Daily  Expecting  the  Funds;  He  Came  to  Town 
the  22nd;  We  Dined  Tete  a  Tete\  I  Gave  him  the  Copies  of 
the  Treaty;  On  the  nth  I  Announced  that  Capt.  O'Brien 
Arrived  at  Malaga;  Mr.  Donaldson  makes  his  first  Visit 
to  the  Dey's  Ministers  and  offends  them  by  his  Parsimony; 
Mr.  Donaldson's  Conduct  Relative  to  a  Vessel  I  was  about 
to  Purchase;  The  Dey  Orders  a  List  of  the  Portuguese  in 
Captivity  to  be  made  Out;  He  Is  taken  III;  I  Procure  a 
Truce  for  the  United  States  with  Tunis,  Guaranteed  by 
the  Dey  for  Eight  Months;  The  Mates  and  Sailors  lay 
Siege  to  his  Chamber;  Wish  him  to  Procure  Leave  for 
them  to  stay  in  the  Town;  He  says  he  cannot  do  it  at 
Present;  They  use  hard  language  to  Him;  The  Dey's  Im- 
patience. 

CHAPTER  XV 

The  Dey  Refuses  to  Release  the  Corsicans  until  their  Ran- 
som was  paid  in  Hard  Cash;  their  Boats  were  Condemned; 
Arrival  of  a  British  Privateer;  The  Vessel  is  Condemned 
and  the  People  made  Slaves;  Arrival  of  a  British  Frigate; 
The  Captain  Demanded  the  Privateer  that  was  Captured, 
all  the  Corsicans  in  Captivity,  and  the  Value  of  the  Boats 
Condemned;  The  'Dey  sends  his  Negative  and  Formally 
Declares  War  Against  Great  Britain;  The  British  Surgeon 
Receives  Orders  to  Embark;  Settlement  of  Affairs;  Money 
Paid  for  the  Ransom  of  the  Corsicans;  The  Dey  Presents  a 
Handsome  Turkish  Scymeter  to  Mr.  North;  Mr.  Donaldson 
Requests  me  to  Charter  a  Vessel  to  Alicant  to  Expedite 
our  Affairs;  But  Refuses  a  Present  to  the  Dey  to  Strengthen 
his    Belief;  Disturbance  Caused  by  the  Mates  and  Seamen; 


CONTENTS.  XV 


They  are  Ordered  to  be  put  in  Chains;  I   Interceeded  for 
Them;  The   Dey   Grows    Impatient  by   the    Delay   of   the 
Funds;    Threatens   to  cut  off  my  Head  for  Advising  him"^ 
to  make  Peace   with   the   United    States   in    Preference   to  ^ 
Portugal, 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
Arrival  of   Mr.  Barlow,  the  first  American  Vessel  that  ever  ) 
Arrived  in  Algiers  or  any  of  the  Barbary  States;  Mr.  Barlow 
Requests  Permission  of  the  Dey  to  make  Presents;    The 
Dey  Refuses  to  Accept  any  Presents  from  the   Agents  of 
the   United   States,   and   said   he   would  send  them  out  of 
the   Country;    Mr.    Barlow   sends    a   Small   Silver   Trunk, 
Curiously   Wrought,   to  the    Dey  for  his   Daughter   in   his 
own  Name;  The  Dey  said  he  might  send  it  to  her  house 
if  he  Pleased;  Mr.  Barlow  Requested  me  to  give  him  In- 
formation;   I   Placed  my   Journals  in   his  hands,  also  oral 
and  written  Communications  for   which   he    Received   the 
Thanks  of  the  Department  of  State;  My  Interview  with  the  I 
Dey  Ill-timed;  Pleasantry  of  Mr.  Donaldson.  -"^ 

CHAPTER  XVII. 
Depredations  on  Denmark  Caused  by  the  Neapolitans  Cap- 
turing a  Danish  Vessel  with  Three  Hundred  Turkish 
Soldiers  on  Board;  The  Cruisers  go  out  and  bring  in 
Thirteen  Sail  of  Danish  Merchant  Vessels;  After  Many 
Threats  to  the  Danish  Consul;  The  Dey  Threatens  Mr. 
Donaldson  and  Myself;  He  makes  the  motion  of  Beheading 
as  they  do  the  Christians  at  the  Palace  Gate;  Ramadan; 
Cruelty  and  Injustice;  I  Intercede  for  the  Tavern  Keepers; 
I  pay  the  whole  of  my  Quota  of  the  Mulct,  240  Sequins; 
when  I  left  with  Dispatches  my  Successor  Assumed  the 
Responsibility  of  the  Tavern  Keepers;  The  Dey  sends  me 
with  a  Letter  to  the  President  of  the  United  States;  Fac 
Simile  of  the  Dey's  Letter. 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 
Letter  from  Mr.  Barlow  to  Hon.  D.  Humphreys,  Minister 
from  the  United  States  to  Lisbon;  Also  from  Mr.  Barlow 
to  the  Secretary  of  State,  Hon.  Timothy  Pickering;  Letter 
of  Instructions  to  Myself;  My  Observations  on  the  Terms  of 
the  Voyage;  Affecting  Scene,  Parting  with  my  Fellow 
Prisoners,  Mr.  Barlow  and  my  Friends  the  Skjoldebrands; 
At  Meridian  made  Sail;  May  22,  Alicant  Bay  got  Product, 
and  waited  on  Mr.  Montgomery;  28th  had  no  Alternative 
than  to  sell  a  part  of  my  Vessel  and  with  this  Money 
fitted  her  out  and  got  Provisions,  and  sent  the  Moors 
back  to  Algiers;  My  Letter  to  Mr.  Barlow,  Alicant,  June  6; 
On  the  8th  I  got  under  way,  but  was  obliged  to  come  to 
an  Anchor  again,  on  the  gth  on  account  of  hard  winds  I 
was  obliged  to  slip  and  leave  an  Anchor  and  Cable  and 
put  to  Sea;  Letter  from  the  Secretary  of  State  to  Mr.  Bar- 
low on  my  Arrival  at  Philadelphia,  dated  December  3,  1796; 
List  of  the  Americans  Captured  in  1785. 


XVI  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

Left  Algiers  May  8,  1796,  and  Arrived  at  Philadelphia  Decem- 
ber 3,  1796;    Marriage  June   5,   1798;   Received  Instructions 

^Srom  the  Secretary  of  State  to  Return  to  the  Barbary  States; 

'  Left  Philadelphia  December  23,  1798.  and  Arrived  at  Algiers 
February  9,  1799;  Left  Algiers  for  Tunis,  March  2nd;  Ar- 

rrived  at  Biserta  the  8th,  and  at  Tunis  the  12th  of  March; 

^T^ffected  an  Alteration  in  the  Treaty  and  Sailed  for  Tripoli 
on  the  2nd  of  April,  1799;  Dispatched  the  Sophia  for  Tunis, 
Algiers  and  the  United  States,  having  Purchased  a  Vessel 
of  War  and  a  Cargo  of  Maritine  and  Military  Stores  for 
$18,000  on  the  17th  of  April,  1799;  In  1798  I  had  Received 
Instructions  from  the  Secretary  of  State  and  Procured  two 
Flags  for  the  Consulate  of  Tunis  and  Tripoli;  On  the  23rd 
of  December  took  Leave  of  the  Secretary  of  State  and  Em- 
barked on  the  United  States  Brig  Sophia. 

CHAPTER  XX. 

Saturday,  August  27,  1803,  Embarked  on  the  United  States 
Frigate  Adams,  Capt.  Campbell,  in  Leghorn  Roads,  bound 
to  Tunis;  Spoke  two  English  Privateers;  Spoke  a  Ship 
under  Imperial  Colors  from  Constantinople  in  sight  of 
Corsica  Caprea  and  Island  of  Elba;  September  2nd  came 
to  Anchor  in  Tunis  Bay;  Monday,  5th,  the  Drogoman 
brought  a  Note  from  Dr.  Davis  Containing  the  Bashaw's 
Permission  to  Land;  Waited  on  the  Bashaw  and  Delivered 
the  President's  Letters. 

CHAPTER  XXL 
January  i,  1805,  Returned  to  the  United  States;  Many  Places 
Mentioned;  Stormy  Weather;  Mutiny  Threatened  but  Sub- 
dued; February  26,  made  the  Land  Northward  of  Little 
Egg  Harbor  and  Sandy  Hook;  Next  day  Anchored  off 
North  Battery;  Took  my  Family  Ashore,  Visited  a  week 
at  Flat  Bush;  22nd  left  New  York  for  Philadelphia,  and 
Arrived  at  Washington  at  8  p.  m. 

CHAPTER  XXH. 
Resided  on  West  Street,  Georgetown,  D.  C,  till  Appointed 
Consul  to  Madeira,  May  21,  1807;  June  nth,  had  fine 
Weather  from  our  Departure;  18th,  made  the  North  End 
of  Madeira;  Made  sail  and  Anchored  in  Funchal  Roads  at 
3  p.  M.,  went  Ashore  at  5;  Just  Twenty-eight  Days  from 
the  City  of  Washington;  June  26,  1807,  Moved  the  Family 
to  the  Quinta  de  Descanso;  Brief  Description  of  the  Island; 
Left  Madeira  for  Washington,  June  1815. 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

Arrival  at  Cadiz;  Speak  of  the  Appearance  of  the  Houses  and 
Streets  being  Remarkable  for  Neatness;  The  Almeda,  Pub- 
lic Walk,  Commands  a  fine  View;  Beautiful  View  of  the 
"Open  Sea;"  Returned  to  Washington  in  August,  181 7,  from 
this  the  last  Appointment  Abroad;  Employed  on  the  Sur- 
vey of  the  Coast  of  Louisiana;  Next  Permanently  Employed 
in  the  Second  Comptroller's  Office,  Washington,  D.  C. 


THE    CAPTIVES, 


CHAPTER  I. 

POLITICAL  STATE  OF  ALGIERS  IN   1 785. 

The  piratical  states  of  Barbary,  especially  Algiers, 
having  for  a  succession  of  years  withstood  the  attacks 
of  Spain  and  several  of  the  smaller  Christian  powers, 
bordering  on  the  north  side  5f  the  Mediterranean, 
coadjuted  by  a  small  squadron  from  Portugal,  and, 
having  compelled  a  number  of  their  armaments  to 
retire  from  the  object  of  this  enterprise,  and  their 
chiefs  to  abandon  their  hopes  of  possessing  them- 
selves of  that  city,  among  which,  since  the  grand  ex- 
pedition by  the  Emperer  Charles  the  V,  in  1541, 
those  under  the  command  of  Don  Pedro  Castigon 
and  Gen.  O'Riley  in  1775  and  Don  Antonio  Barcelo 
in  1784  were  the  most  formidable,  now  resolved  to 
accept  a  valuable  consideration  from  that  Monarchy 
as  the  price  of  peace,  and  thereby  liberate  them- 
selves from  the  annual  apprehension  of  bombard- 
ment as  well  as  to  obain  a  larger  field  for  committing 
depredations  on  the  commerce  of  other  nations. 
The  preliminaries,  or,  rather,  the  foundations,  upon 
which  a  peace  between  those  nations  might  be  estab- 


2  THE    CAPTIVES. 

lished,  were  adjusted  in  1777  and  1778  by  Ciddi  Has- 
san Vikilharche,  of  the  marine  of  Algiers,  during  his 
detention  at  Carthagena,  and  would  have  been  car- 
ried into  effect  long  ere  this,  had  not  the  war  in 
which  Spain  was  afterward  involved  with  Great 
Britain  rendered  the  measure  unnecessary,  and  the 
Dey  of  Algiers  partiality  for  that  nation,  even  after 
peace  took  place  in  1783,  rendered  it  improvident 
for  Spain  to  solicit  a  peace  on  his  own  terms.  Ac- 
cordingly a  small  armament  was  sent  to  bombard 
Algiers  in  1784  in  order  to  prove  that  Spain  had 
sufficient  force  to  impede  the  depredations  of  the 
Cruisers  of  Algiers,  which  had  no  other  effect  than 
to  render  the  wished  for  accommodation  more  popu- 
lar among  the  soldiery  and  inhabitants  of  that  city, 
and  to  give  the  Dey  and  Divan  of  Algiers  an  oppor- 
tunity to  persuade  them  that  it  was  entirely  on  their 
account,  that  he  wished  for  peace  with  a  nation  that 
had  for  so  many  years  been  their  implacable  enemy. 
There  was  one  small  obstacle  remaining  to  be  re- 
moved on  the  part  of  his  Catholic  Majesty,  this  was 
a  clause  in  the  Coronation  oath  which  prohibits  that 
Monarch  from  concluding  peace  with  the  Infidels; 
but,  as  a  truce  only  implies  a  cessation  of  arms  for  a 
certain  time,  that  impediment  was  easily  gotten  over 
by  concluding  a  truce  for  a  century,  for  which  was 
paid  to  the  treasury,  one  million  dollars,  and  about 
as  much  to  the  Dey  and  grandees  of  the  Regency 
among  whom  Ciddi  Hassan  was  most  liberally  re- 
warded for  his  friendly  interposition  and  ever  after- 
wards made  it  a  pretext  for  extorting  valuable 
presents  from  the  Court  of  Spain. 


POLITICAL    STATE    OF    ALGIERS.  3 

At  this  period  Algiers  was  at  peace  with  Great 
Britain,  France,  Spain,  Holland,  Denmark,  Sweden, 
Venice,  and  the  little  Republic  of  Ragusa.  With  the 
Empires  of  Russia  and  Germany  the  Dey  was  upon 
indifferent  terms  and  waited  for  information  from  the 
Sublime  Porte  before  he  took  his  position  with  those 
powers  and  consequently  had  not  captured  any  of 
their  vessels.  With  Portugal,  Prussia,  Naples,  the 
Italian  States,  the  Hanstowns  and  all  the  rest  of  the 
world  that  did  not  pay  him  tribute  he  was  at  war. 
Great  Britain,  by  her  superiority  at  sea  and  in  conse- 
quence of  her  garrisons  in  the  Mediterranean,  during 
the  war  which  concluded  in  acknowleding  the  inde- 
pendence of  the  United  States,  was  both  feared  and 
respected  by  the  Divan  of  Algiers,  exclusive  of  the 
Dey's  partiality  to  that  nation,  but  from  the  death  of 
Mr.  Benton,  late  British  Consul  who  had  died  at 
Algiers,  none  had  been  appointed  until  the  arrival  of 
Charles  Logic,  Esq.,  a  very  short  time  before  peace 
was  concluded  between  Algiers  and  Spain,  conse- 
quently the  Dey  wars  ignorant  of  the  differences 
which  had  existed  between  her  and  her  ci-devant 
colonies;  as  it  was  by  no  means  incumbent  on  the 
Agents  of  France  or  Holland  to  give  him  information 
either  of  those  differences  or  the  result  of  the  war 
before  they  received  instructions  from  their  respect- 
ive Courts,  which,  had  circumstances  permitted, 
would  have  prevented,  in  a  great  measure,  the  many 
disagreeable  events  which  have  since  happened.  It 
would  be  as  impolitic  as  disagreeable  to  revive  the 
remembrance  of  transactions  dictated  by  the  exigen- 
cies of  the  times,  and  which  the  interests  of  both 


4  THE    CAPTIVES. 

nations  would  induce  us  to  consign  to  oblivion;  but 
a  faithful  narrator  ought  to  write  things  as  they 
really  were,  or  not  at  all.  I  therefore  will  not  inter- 
rupt the  thread  of  my  narration  by  any  evasion  of 
truth,  but  am  sincerely  inclined  to  believe,  that 
many  of  the  facts  which  will  be  herein  mentioned, 
were  owing  more  to  individual  inveteracy  than 
national  animosity. 

Consul  Logie,  who  arrived  at  Algiers  too  late  to 
impede  the  progress  of  the  negotiations  between  that 
Regency  and  Spain,  whether  to  ingratiate  himself 
with  his  own  government  or  that  of  Algiers,  is  imma- 
terial and  hard  to  determine,  immediately  gave  the 
Executive  of  Algiers  a  circumstantial  detail  of  the 
motives  of  the  late  war  and  the  results,  declaring 
that  the  United  States  were  no  longer  under  the  pro- 
tection of  his  Master,  and,  that  wherever  the  Cruisers 
of  Algiers  should  fall  in  with  the  vessels  of  the 
United  States  of  America,  they  were  good  prizes  and 
wished  them  success  in  their  attempts  to  capture 
those  who  refused  allegiance  to  his  Master.  The 
Cruisers  of  Algiers  were  fitted  out  with  all  expedition 
and  sailed  on  the  30th  of  June,  bound  direct  to  the 
Atlantic  ocean,  where  they  had  not  cruised  for  a 
number  of  years  before.  Their  aim  was  the  capture 
of  some  rich  Portuguese-Brazil  ships  which  were  ex- 
pected at  Lisbon  about  this  time  and  did  not  sup- 
pose they  would  meet  with  any  Americans,  whom 
Consul  Logie  had  represented  to  be  a  set  of  beings 
without  strength  or  resources,  and  so  contemptible, 
that  his  Master  did  not  think  us  worth  the  trouble 
or  expense  of  subduing. 


POLITICAL    STATE    OF    ALGIERS.  5 

The  Cruisers  proceeded  to  cruise  on  the  coast  of 
Portugal  but  were  disappointed  in  their  expectations 
of  capturing  the  ships  from  Brazil  but  took  several 
others,  Portuguese,  Genoese  and  two  Americans. 
The  Maria  of  Boston  on  which  I  had  embarked  was 
captured  three  miles  southeast  of  Cape  St.  Vincent 
(southeast  point  of  Portugal)  on  the  25th  of  July,  1785, 
and  arrived  at  Algiers  on  the  4th  of  August  follow- 
ing, and  the  Dauphin  of  Philadelphia  was  captured 
70  leagues  to  the  westward  of  the  Rock  of  Lisbon  on 
the  30th  of  said  month,  and  arrived  at  Algiers  on 
the  1 2th  of  August,  being  captured  by  the  Admiral's 
ship,  and  the  Maria  by  a  Xebec  of  fourteen  guns. 
On  being  boarded  the  Mahometans  asked  us  for  our 
flag  and  papers.  Of  the  first  they  had  no  knowledge 
and  the  papers  they  could  not  read  and  Mediter- 
ranean pass  we  had  none;  consequently,  they  con- 
ceived us  to  be  a  good  prize  but  my  feelings  were 
very  different  from  the  rest  of  my  fellow  sufferers. 
I  understood  the  Spanish  language  which  they  all 
spoke  and  was  the  only  person  on  board  who  had 
any  knowledge  of  the  Barbary  States.  I  knew  that 
a  few  months  before  Spain  was  at  war  with  the 
eastern  states  and  prevented  their  Cruisers  from 
coming  into  the  western  ocean  and,  not  having 
spoken  any  vessel  at  sea  to  inform  us  of  that  event, 
I  conjectured  that  this  boat  must  belong  to  some 
pirate  from  that  part  of  Morocco,  which  was  then  at 
war  with  the  Emperor,  and  that  they  concluded  that 
the  "Kingdom  of  Heaven"  was  at  hand.  They  were 
twenty-one  in  number  and  we  were  only  six,  which 
precluded  the  possibility  of  overpowering  them  had 


O  THE    CAPTIVES. 

we  been  so  imprudent  as  to  have  made  an  attempt. 
In  this  state  of  mind  I  remained  more  than  two  hours 
before  we  joined  the  Xebec,  there  being  very  little 
wind,  and  the  first  salutation  we  received  was  a  shout 
from  the  whole  crew  of  the  Cruiser  indicative  of  our 
being  a  good  prize.  We  were  then  driven  into  the 
boat  without  being  permitted  to  go  into  the  cabin 
and  taken  on  board  the  Cruiser  and  conducted  to  the 
quarter  deck,  every  person  having  a  pull  at  us  as  we 
went  along,  in  order  to  benefit  by  our  capture.  Our 
hats,  handkerchiefs  and  shoes  were  the  first  articles 
that  were  taken  from  us  and  which  we  most  wanted 
as  we  could  not  endure  the  scorching  heat  of  the  sun 
on  our  heads  nor  were  our  feet  calculated  to  bear 
the  heat  of  the  deck.  We  were  welcomed  on  board 
by  the  Rais  or  Captain,  a  venerable  old  Arab,  who 
had  been  a  captive  for  several  years,  both  in  Spain 
and  Genoa,  and  who  was  really  a  good  man.  "Chris- 
tians," said  he,  "be  consoled,  this  world  is  full  of 
vicissitudes.  You  shall  be  well  used,  I  have  been  a 
slave  myself,  and  will  treat  you  much  better  than  I 
was  treated;  take  some  bread  and  honey  and  a  dish 
of  coffee  and  God  will  redeem  you  from  captivity  as 
he  has  done  me  twice,  and,  when  you  make  your 
peace  with  your  father,  the  King  of  England,  the 
Dey  of  Algiers  will  liberate  you  immediately."  He 
informed  me  that  they  were  a  Cruiser  of  Algiers, 
that  they  had  come  through  the  Straits  in  conse- 
quence of  their  having  concluded  a  peace  with  Spain 
and  of  the  arrival  of  a  British  Consul,  (Charles 
Logic),  who  informed  them  that  they  might  take  all 
such  vessels  that  had  not  passports  of  a  particular  cut. 


POLITICAL    STATE    OF    ALGIERS.  / 

They  had  taken  several  Portuguese  fishermen,  and 
two  pretty  large  vessels,  the  crews  of  the  whole 
amounting  to  thirty-six  men,  and  one  woman,  a 
Spaniard  by  birth,  a  facetious  creature,  who  seemed 
perfectly  reconciled  to  her  situation,  and  endeavored 
to  reconcile  every  one  to  theirs.  I  had  entered  into 
a  conversation  with  her  and  began  to  thank  God  that 
our  situation  was  no  worse,  when  a  sail  was  descried 
from  the  mast  head  and  we  were  all  ordered  down  to 
the  sail  room,  except  the  woman.  It  is  impossible 
to  describe  the  horror  of  our  situation  while  we  re- 
mained there.  Let  imagination  conceive  what  must 
have  been  the  sufferings  of  forty-two  men,  shut  up  in 
a  dark  room  in  the  hold  of  a  Barbary  Cruiser  full  of 
men  and  filthy  in  extreme,  destitute  of  every  nour- 
ishment, and  nearly  suffocated  with  heat,  yet  here 
we  were  obliged  to  remain  every  night  until  our 
arrival  at  Algiers  and  wherever  we  were  either 
chased  or  in  chase.  The  vessel  proved  to  be  a 
friend  and  was  liberated  immediately,  the  prize 
master  and  crew  taking  the  Captain's  quadrant  per- 
spective glass,  charts  and  some  wearing  apparel,  to 
indemnify  themselves  for  the  trouble  of  examining 
their  papers  and  we  were  permitted  to  come  upon 
deck  and  were  regaled  with  some  very  bad  black 
olives,  mixed  with  a  small  quantity  of  rank  oil,  and 
some  vinegar  to  which  was  added  some  very  coarse 
bread  and  water,  which  was  corrupted,  and  which  we 
were,  literally,  obliged  to  strain  through  our  teeth, 
and,  while  we  drank,  to  stop  our  noses.  This  was 
all  our  allowance  except  twice  they  served  us  burgul, 
which  we  could  not  eat,  notwithstanding  the  calls  of 


5  THE    CAPTIVES. 

nature  were  very  great,  and  we  must  enevitably  have 
perished,  had  it  not  been  for  some  Turks,  who  were 
more  charitable  than  the  rest  who  gave  us  some 
onions,  oranges,  raisins  and  figs  from  their  own 
private  stores.  I  likewise  received  relief  several 
times  for  standing  at  the  helm  for  the  sailors,  and 
actually  learned  to  smoke,  by  the  kindness  of  the 
ship's  steward,  who  gave  me  a  pipe  and  tobacco,  and 
whom  I  lived  to  repay,  at  Algiers  more  than  two 
years  after.  Whether  the  Algerian  Cruisers  were 
apprehensive  that  Portugal  would  fit  out  a  squadron 
to  cruise  against  them  or  were  content  with  the  booty 
they  already  had  made,  I  know  not,  but  fortunately 
for  us  they  made  but  a  short  cruise  and  returned  in- 
to the  Mediterranean  the  first  westerly  wind  after 
our  capture.  Had  they  remained  thirty  days  longer 
in  the  western  ocean  they  would  undoubtedly  have 
captured  as  many  American  vessels  as  they  could 
have  manned  and,  probably,  several  rich  Portuguese. 
We  arrived  at  Algiers  on  the  eve  of  the  feast  that 
follows  Ramadan  and  being  private  property  were 
conducted  to  the  owner  of  the  Cruiser's  house,  having 
been  first  entirely  stripped  of  the  remnant  of  our 
clothes  which  remained,  and  I  was  furnished  in  lieu 
thereof  with  the  remains  of  an  old  dirty  shirt,  and 
brown  cloth  trousers  which  formerly  belonged  to  a 
Portuguese  fisherman,  and  were  swarming  with 
myriads  of  vermin,  which,  with  the  crown  of  an  old 
hat,  composed  the  whole  of  my  wardrobe.  The  rest 
of  my  brother  sufferers  were  in  no  better  condition. 
We  were  first  carried  to  the  Kieuchk  or  Admiralty 
ofifice  and  were  permitted  to  regale  ourselves  with  as 


POLITICAL    STATE    OF    ALGIERS.  9 

much  good  water  as  we  pleased,  which  flowed  from  a 
neat  marble  fountain  and  was  as  clear  as  crystal. 
My  desire  was  so  great  to  partake  of  this  refresh- 
ment, that  I  really  believe  that  I  should  have  ex- 
pired had  I  been  refused  this  gratification.  Those 
who  have  been  on  long  voyages  know  how  to  appre- 
ciate this  greatest  of  luxuries,  and  how  grateful  it 
must  have  been  to  people  in  our  situation.  It  has 
made  so  permanent  an  impression  on  my  mind  that 
I  shall  remember  the  Fountain  of  the  Kiosk  of  the 
Marine  of  Algiers,  to  the  latest  hour  of  my  existence. 
We  were  marched  from  the  Kieuchk  through  the 
principal  streets  and  market  place  of  Algiers  and  to 
several  of  the  Grandee's  houses  followed  by  the  mob 
who  had  gathered  to  view  Americans,  we  being  the 
first  they  had  ever  beheld,  and,  at  last,  arrived  at  our 
owner's  house,  having  received  no  refreshment  but 
water  since  the  evening  before.  Here  we  remained 
but  a  few  minutes,  when  we  were  visited  by  Christian 
slaves  of  all  denominations,  they  not  being  at  work 
in  consequence  of  the  festival,  and  those,  who  could 
afford  it  brought  us  the  fruits  of  the  season,  wine, 
bread,  and  everything  that  was  cooked,  or  could  be 
eaten  without  cooking.  At  our  owner's  house  we 
were  all  put  into  an  empty  room,  on  the  ground  floor, 
where  we  all  sat  or  laid  on  the  bare  bricks.  In  the 
centre  of  the  area  was  placed  a  large  cauldron  in 
which  clothes  had  lately  been  boiled,  filled  with 
water,  and  a  quantity  of  coarse  flesh,  which  we  sup- 
posed to  be  ordinary  beef,  but  afterwards  was  in- 
formed was  camel's  flesh,  which  prevented  us  from 
tasting   it.     This   enraged   our  Master  considerably 


10  THE     CAPTIVES. 

and  he  declared  he  never  would  put  himself  to  so 
much  expense  again  to  accommodate  Christian 
slaves.  To  this  again  was  added  a  quantity  of 
burgul  and  some  grease  which  was  extremely  rank 
and  then  served  up  in  wooden  platters,  which  with  a 
quantity  of  black  bread  composed  the  whole  of  our 
nourishment  until  that  time  the  next  day;  as  the 
Mahometans,  of  his  rank,  seldom  eat  themselves  or 
feed  their  slaves  above  once  a  day  and  that  is  after 
sunset. 

Thus  forlorn,  without  food  or  raiment,  anticipat- 
ing the  horrors  of  a  miserable  captivity,  we  stretched 
ourselves  on  the  bare  bricks  where  we  remained  all 
night,  tormented  with  vermin  and  mosquitos,  and  at 
daylight,  were  driven  down  to  the  marine  to  unbend 
the  sails  and  do  other  necessary  work  on  the  Cruisers 
that  had  captured  us.  Here  we  received  some  biscuit 
and  olives  such  as  was  given  us  at  sea,  and  plenty 
of  good  water,  and  in  the  evening  we  were  marched 
back  to  our  Master's  house  and  passed  the  night  in 
the  same  manner  we  had  done  the  one  before,  with 
the  exception  that  we  got,  in  lieu  of  camel's  flesh, 
some  boiled  mumsa,  vegetables  and  fruits  with  which, 
with  some  wine  and  provisions  given  by  Christian 
slaves,  we  made  out  tolerably  well,  but  still  our  fate 
was  not  decided  and  we  did  not  know  whether  we 
would  be  placed  at  the  oar  in  the  galleys  or  sold  to 
the  Arabs  in  the  interior  of  the  Regency.  Although 
our  fears  proved  groundless,  they  prevented  us  from 
enjoying  the  least  repose  for,  when  we  slumbered, 
our  imagination  painted  the  horrors  of  our  situation 
in  such  lively  colors,  that  we  started  from  the  arms 
of  Morpheus  very  little  refreshed. 


POLITICAL    STATE    OF    ALGIERS.  II 

The  next  day  we  were  taken,  in  a  kind  of  proces- 
sion, to  several  of  the  Grandee's  houses  whom  we 
had  not  visited  on  our  arrival  and  who  were  curious 
to  see  Americans,  having  supposed  us  to  be  the 
aborigines  of  the  country,  of  which,  some  of  them 
had  an  imperfect  idea  from  viewing  figures  which 
ornament  charts  of  that  continent,  and  were  much 
surprised  to  see  us  so  fair  or,  as  they  expressed  them- 
selves, so  much  like  Englishmen.  Ultimately  we 
were  taken  to  the  British  Consul's  house  who  had 
ordered  us  some  refreshments  and  passed  his  word  to 
our  Master  that  he  would  be  answerable  for  our  con- 
duct while  in  his  house,  but  advised  him  to  leave  a 
person  to  prevent  us  from  strolling  about  the  streets. 
But  even  here  we  were  made  sensible  of  our  situation 
and  exposed  to  new  species  of  indignities  which  we 
did  not  expect  and  therefore  felt  in  a  superlative 
degree 

We  remained  here  two  days  and  on  the  third,  in 
the  morning,  were  marched  to  the  Bedistan  or  Slave 
Market  where  we  remained  from  daylight  till  half 
past  three  o'clock  without  any  refreshments,  and  were 
treated  thus  for  three  days  successively,  the  first  and 
second  nights  being  lodged  in  our  Master's  house,  and 
having  no  better  accommodations  than  we  had  the 
first  day  of  our  arrival.  On  the  afternoon  of  the 
third  we  were  taken  into  the  Dey's  palace  and 
paraded  before  his  Excellency  when,  of  our  crew,  he 
took  five,  only  leaving  Capt.  Stephens,  and,  of  the 
Portuguese,  eight,  for  the  service  of  the  palace,  and 
the  others  sent  to  the  Slave  prison  as  the  Regency 
purchased  them  all  except  four  or  five  old  men,  who 


12  THE     CAPTIVES. 

had  been  sold  at  vendue,  and  the  woman,  who,  im- 
mediately on  her  arrival,  had  been  sent  to  the  Span- 
ish hospital,  there  to  remain  until  ransomed,  was 
likewise  purchased  by  the  Regency.  We  were  now 
taken  to  the  hot  bath  by  the  other  Christian  slaves 
and  cleansed  from  the  filth  of  the  Cruiser,  our  old 
rags  were  changed  for  a  large  shirt  with  open  sleeves 
and  a  large  pair  of  cotton  trousers,  a  pair  of  shoes 
and  red  cap,  all  made  in  Turkish  fashion,  in  which  no 
doubt,  we  made  a  curious  appearance.  We  were 
allowed  to  remain  together  that  night  and  fared 
sumptously  in  comparison  to  what  we  had  some  time 
before,  and,  being  clean,  slept  for  several  hours  as 
sound  as  any  people  could  do  in  our  situation.  In 
the  morning  we  awakened  much  refreshed,  and  were 
stationed  at  our  respective  duties;  two  were  retained 
as  upper  servants,  one  was  sent  to  the  kitchen  and 
myself  and  another  were  doomed  to  labor  in  the 
palace  garden,  where  we  had  not  a  great  deal  to  do, 
there  being  fourteen  of  us,  and,  the  taking  care  of 
two  lions,  two  tigers  and  two  antelopes  excepted,  the 
work  might  have  very  well  been  done  by  four. 

Here  I  had  sufficient  time  to  bewail  my  unfortu- 
nate situation,  but  was  ignorant  of  its  full  extent. 
Had  I  known  the  different  vicissitudes  I  was  to  ex- 
perience, and  the  length  of  my  captivity,  I  should 
have  sunk  beneath  the  weight  of  such  accumulated 
woe.  But  hope,  that  sweet  soother  of  all  earthly 
cares,  represented  that  our  situation  was  really  not  so 
bad  as  we  had  expected,  and  that  we  had  not  been 
used  worse  than  many  of  our  fellow  citizens  had  been 
during  the  Revolutionary  war  in  the  different  British 


POLITICAL    STATE    OF   ALGIERS.  I3 

prisons;  and,  being  confident  that  our  country  would 
immediately  redeem  us,  I  resolved  to  bear  my  cap- 
tivity with  as  good  a  grace  as  possible  and  not  give 
the  Mahometans  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  me  de- 
jected, but  alas!  I  had  seen  the  best  part  only,  I  had 
as  yet  experienced  but  few  of  the  bitters  of  slavery 
in  comparison  to  what  I  afterwards  suffered. 

As  I  have  promised  to  give  a  detail  of  the  treat- 
ment that  Christian  slaves  receive  in  Barbary,  and  as 
I  have  experienced  a  great  variety  of  scenes  myself, 
I  will  give  the  particulars  as  they  occur  and  will 
likewise  take  the  liberty  of  making  as  many  digres- 
sions as  I  deem  necessary  to  facilitate  my  plan  for 
which  I  most  humbly  beg  the  rigid  critic's  indul- 
gence. 


CHAPTER  n. 

Economy  of  the  Dey's  palace  will  describe  the 
situation  of  slaves  in  all  the  Grandees  and  rich  peo- 
ples' houses  in  the  Regency  of  Algiers,  making 
allowance  for  the  caprices  of  Masters,  some  being 
better  and  some  worse,  as  in  other  countries.  The 
Dey's  palace  is  governed  by  two  Hasnadars  or 
Chamberlains' and  two  chief  cooks,  the  latter  always 
eat  with  the  Dey,  no  other  person  having  any  inter- 
ference with  the  internal  regulations  of  the  Dey's 
household.  The  two  chief  cooks  on  my  arrival  at 
Algiers  had  thirty-three  Christians  of  different  de- 
nominations, under  their  command,  besides  a  number 
of  Moors  for  doing  the  out  door  work,  the  Christians 
only  being  permitted  to  go  out  twice  a  year,  on  the 
second  day  of  their  two  chief  festivals.  Those 
Christians  are  employed  in  the  different  offices  of 
the  kitchen  and  magazines  of  provisions  in  the 
palace.  The  chief  cooks  only  superintend  the  whole. 
The  two  Chamberlains,  of  which  the  celebrated  Ciddi 
Aly,  afterwards  Bashaw  of  Tripoli,  was  the  chief, 
had  the  same  number  of  Christian  slaves  under  their 
jurisdiction.     They  were  divided  as  follows: 

In  the  Dey's  apartments,  which  are  higher  than 
the  rest,  the  Capo  di  Golfa,  (who  is  the  head  slave 
in  the  Regency,  the  Dey's  chief  Christian  clerk  ex- 


POLITICAL    STATE    OF   ALGIERS.  1 5 

cepted),  and  four  others.  These  are  the  Dey's  body 
guards  and  do  nothing  else  whatever.  In  the  first 
gallery,  or  Chamberlain's  apartment,  fourteen,  whose 
duty  it  is  to  keep  that  part  of  the  house  clean,  take 
the  dishes  of  meat  for  the  Dey's  and  Chamberlain's 
tables  from  the  kitchen,  and  in  general  whatever 
they  were  ordered  to  do,  either  by  the  Dey  or 
Chamberlain,  no  other  person  interfering  with  them. 
Of  this  class  the  two  coffee  servers,  whose  duty  it  is 
to  serve  the  Dey  and  Grandees  with  coffee  of  which 
mention  will  be  made  hereafter.  As  those  are  main- 
tained from  the  Dey's  table,  they  live  in  general 
much  better  than  they  would  in  their  own  country, 
the  use  of  wine  excepted,  as  no  inebriating  liquor  is 
permitted  to  be  used  in  the  palace  on  pain  of  a 
severe  bastonading  and  being  turned  to  hard  labor 
in  chains,  nor  is  tobacco  to  be  used,  when  the  Dey 
does  not  use  it  himself,  which  was  the  case  while  I 
remained  there.  Not  so  in  the  garden.  Here  we 
had  nothing  allowed  us  but  a  small  plate  of  meat  and 
another  of  rice  mumsa  or  burgul,  and  a  basin  of  sour 
milk  twice  a  day,  which  was  hardly  sufficient  for  four 
of  us,  with  some  oil  and  vinegar  now  and  then  and 
black  bread,  such  as  is  given  to  the  slaves  at  the 
Marine,  and  in  the  fruit  season  some  musk  and  water- 
melons. The  fruit  of  the  garden  was  prohibited  and 
kept  for  the  Dey's  own  use  and  I  have  actually 
known  several  of  my  brother  sufferers  bastonaded 
for  having  been  detected  eating  an  orange  or  a  small 
bunch  of  grapes.  Those,  who  had  friends  in  the 
kitchen  or  upper  apartments,  sometimes  would  get 
small  supplies,  but  notwithstanding  we  were   often 


lb  THE     CAPTIVES. 

seduced  to  making  a  kind  of  salad  from  the  vine 
leaves  to  stay  our  craving  appetites,  and  not  unfre- 
quently  have  committed  depredations  on  the  Dey's 
pigeon  house,  at  the  risk  of  breaking  our  necks,  ex- 
clusive of  a  severe  bastonading  if  detected.  We  were 
under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Chamberlains  and  were 
often  used  by  them  in  the  most  petulant,  humiliating 
and  cruel  manner,  of  which  more  in  the  sequel. 
There  were  likewise  two  Christians  called  "captains 
a  proa"  whose  duty  it  was  to  keep  the  lower  part  of 
the  palace  clean,  to  light  the  Dey  down  stairs  in  the 
morning,  as  he  always  takes  his  seat  at  the  break  of 
day,  to  remove  the  soldiers'  beds  who  sleep  at  the 
doors  of  the  treasury  and  whatever  the  Prime  Minis- 
ter and  store-keepers  of  the  palace  should  order 
them,  under  whose  jurisdiction  they  are  all  day,  but 
at  night  they  are  classed  with  the  cooks,  as  neither 
the  Prime  Minister  or  store-keepers  sleep  in  the 
palace.  Besides  the  Christians  already  mentioned 
there  are  a  number  of  blacksmiths  who  work  in  the 
palace  but  sleep  at  the  prison,  and  several  mulateers 
to  take  away  the  filth  of  the  palace  which  is  consid- 
erable, as  all  the  meat  that  is  killed  for  the  use  of 
the  palace  is  kept  and  slaughtered  within  the  gates, 
and  often  have  I  seen  the  butcher  cut  a  sheep's 
throat  already  dead  and  set  it  apart  for  the  Chris- 
tians in  the  garden  and  the  blacksmiths;  besides  the 
Dey's  horses  are  also  kept  in  the  palace  with  a  num- 
ber of  mules  and  asses  for  labor,  which  creates  a 
great  deal  of  dirt  which  is  carried  out  of  the  gates  of 
town  and  heaped  up  for  manure  which  is  sold  by  the 
head  scavenger  as  one  of  his  perquisites.       Thus  are 


POLITICAL    STATE    OF   ALGIERS.  I7 

employed  sixty-eight  Christians,  and  the  numbers 
that  are  employed  in  the  great  men's  houses  are 
treated  nearly  in  the  same  manner,  and  those  in  the 
gardens  not  near  so  well. 

On  the  1 2th  of  August  arrived  the  Cruiser  that 
captured  the  Dauphin  with  her  crew  on  board,  being 
fifteen  in  number,  they  had  been  used  nearly  in  the 
same  manner  that  we  had,  but  being  public  property 
were  brought  from  the  Cruiser  direct  to  the  palace 
where  they  remained  all  night.  It  was  a  consolation 
to  find  us  here  as  we  informed  them  of  many  partic- 
ulars very  pleasing  to  people  in  their  situation, 
especially,  that  there  were  no  galleys  in  Algiers  and 
that  they  would  not  be  made  to  wear  chains  any 
longer  than  the  ships  of  war  of  England  and  France 
were  in  the  bay  unless  they  committed  crimes  to 
deserve  them;  that  the  officers  would  be  sent  to  work 
in  the  sail  loft  and  the  seamen  in  the  Marine,  this 
was  so  much  better  treatment  than  they  expected 
that  they  began  to  reconcile  themselves  to  their  situ- 
ation, and,  as  the  clothes  which  they  had  on  were  not 
taken  from  them  in  consequence  of  their  having  an 
old  English  Mediterranean  passport;  when  washed 
and  cleaned  they  made  a  much  better  figure  than  we 
did.  When  paraded  before  the  Dey  the  next  morn- 
ing his  Excellency  chose  several  of  them  for  the 
palace  and  the  rest  were  sent  to  the  Slave  prison, 
which  I  shall  describe  when  I  become  an  inhabitant 
of  it  myself.  Captain  O'Brien,  Stephens  and  Cofifin, 
the  latter  was  a  passenger  on  board  the  Dauphin, 
were  immediately  taken  to  the  British  Consul's  house 
to  serve  as  domestics  where  they  remained  suffering 


1 8  THE     CAPTIVES. 

every  indignity  that  inhumanity  could  devise  to  ren- 
der their  situation  humiliating  in  the  extreme,  until 
the  arrival  of  the  Count  de  Expilly  who  by  the  orders 
of  Mr.  Carmichael,  Charge  des  Affairs  at  Madrid, 
took  them  under  his  protection,  and  hired  a  small 
house  where  they  lived  very  comfortably  for  some- 
time upon  the  supplies  furnished  them  by  Mr.  Car- 
michael and  their  friends  in  the  palace.  The  Mates 
were  likewise  taken  out  of  the  Marine  and  placed 
with  the  Captains,  but  the  Marines  were  left  at  hard 
labor  and  were  only  allowed  three  masoons  a  day 
to  clothe  and  maintain  them  which  is  equal  to  7^ 
cents. 

I  shall  now  return  to  the  palace.  The  slaves  in 
the  upper  apartments  received  two  suits  of  elegant 
clothes  trimmed  with  gold,  those  in  the  palace  gar- 
den had  the  same  quality  of  clothing  with  less  gold, 
and  the  cooks  were  supplied  with  clothing  somewhat 
inferior,  trimmed  with  silk,  those  that  are  sent  to  the 
Marine  to  hard  labor  receive  one  suit  of  clothes 
which  is  seldom  worth  more  than  one  dollar  and  a 
half,  and  each  slave  receives  two  coarse  blankets 
which  is  supposed  to  last  them  the  whole  of  their 
captivity;  the  slaves  in  the  palace  never  receive  any- 
thing else  from  the  Dey,  but  those  who  work  at  hard 
labor  are  allowed  a  suit  of  clothes  every  year  of  the 
same  value  as  is  given  them  on  their  arrival,  but  no 
blankets.  From  what  has  been  said  of  the  slaves  in 
the  palace,  the  reader  will  be  apt  to  believe  that  their 
situation  is  at  least  supportable,  but  the  humiliations 
he  undergoes  verily  make  a  person  of  any  sensibility 
even  more  miserable  than  he  would  be  at  hard  labor. 


POLITICAL    STATE    OF    ALGIERS.  I9 

as  he  has  more  time  to  reflect  on  the  rigor  of  his 
fate.  I  shall  enumerate  a  few  of  the  acts  of  injustice 
which  I  either  suffered  myself  or  saw  others  suffer, 
while  I  remained  in  the  palace  and  which  every 
slave  is  subject  to  in  so  gceat  a  degree,  that  a 
Genoese  on  his  redemption,  kissing  the  hand  of 
Mahomed  Bashaw,  Dey  of  Algiers,  inadvertently 
said,  "thank  God  I  have  been  your  servant  ten  years 
and  never  received  the  bastinado  once."  **Did  you 
not,"  said  the  Dey?  "Take  this  Christian  and  give 
him  one  hundred  blows  on  the  soles  of  his  feet,  that 
he  may  not  have  so  great  a  miracle  to  tell  his  coun- 
trymen when  he  returns  to  his  home."  The  poor 
man,  thunder  struck,  exclaimed  *T  am  free!  surely 
your  Excellency  will  not  punish  me  for  not  having 
committed  a  fault  in  ten  years'  captivity?"  "Give 
him  two  hundred  blows,"  replied  the  Dey,  "and  if 
the  Infidel  says  a  word  more,  send  him  to  the  works 
again  and  inform  the  person,  that  has  redeemed  him, 
that  he  may  have  anyone  of  the  same  nation  in  his 
room.  I  will  keep  him  till  he  dies,  for  his  insolence." 
The  poor  man  received  the  punishment,  immediately 
went  to  the  hospital  to  be  cured,  and  embarked  as 
soon  as  possible  with  no  very  favorable  opinion  of 
the  Dey's  justice  and  clemency,  notwithstanding,  he 
was  supposed  to  be  the  least  of  a  tyrant  of  any  Dey 
that  ever  reigned  in  Algiers.  It  is  written  of  Hassan 
Bashaw  that  he  was  always  in  dread  of  assassination. 
I  will  here  mention  that  Hassan  Bashaw  succeeded 
the  present  Dey,  Mahomed  Bashaw  at  his  death,  in 
1791.  Once,  when  one  of  his  attendants  was  assist- 
ing  Hassan    Bashaw  to  change  his  linen,  the  shirt 


20  THE    CAPTIVES. 

which  he  put  over  his  head  had  not  been  altered 
since  it  came  from  the  Levant,  consequently  had  no 
place  open  to  put  his  head  through.  The  Dey's 
head  was  in  a  sack  and  he,  supposing  they  were 
going  to  assassinate  him,  caught  his  attagan  (sword) 
and  flew  at  the  youth,  who  being  more  nimble  than 
the  Dey,  got  out  of  his  reach  and  his  attendants  did 
the  same  until  he  grew  calm  and  put  up  his  sword  in 
its  place,  being  convinced  that  he  was  in  no  danger 
of  losing  his  life  and  that  he  was  thus  encased  by 
the  ignorance  of  the  American.  Another  time,  one 
of  his  attendants,  who  frequently  walked  in  his 
sleep,  one  night,  in  his  perambulations,  frightened 
the  Dey  exceedingly.  He  called  aloud  for  his  ser- 
vants, who  awakened  the  youth,  and  the  blame  was 
thrown  on  the  cats,  of  which  the  palace  was  full.  A 
few  nights  after  the  same  person  dreading  the  con- 
sequence of  being  met  by  the  Dey  in  his  night  walks, 
agreed  with  one  of  his  comrades  to  tie  their  legs 
together.  At  a  dead  hour  of  the  night  the  Dey  was 
alarmed  by  something  and  called  his  attendants  with 
great  vociferation,  the  youths,  forgetting  that  they 
were  tied,  sprang  forward  to  receive  the  Dey's  orders 
and  overturned  one  of  their  comrades  against  the 
door  of  the  Dey's  apartment,  which  flew  open  with  a 
great  noise.  The  Dey  thought  he  was  surprised  and 
drew  his  sword  and  would  certainly  have  put  them 
to  death,  had  not  the  darkness  of  the  room  prevent- 
ed his  seeing  them.  This  gave  an  opportunity  for 
them  to  escape  the  first  impulse  of  the  Dey's  wrath 
and,  having  tumbled  headlong  down  stairs  to  loosen 
themselves,  while  another  was  procuring  a  light,  the 


POLITICAL   STATE    OF   ALGIERS.  21 

cause  of  the  disturbance  was  explained,  which  paci- 
fied him  for  the  present,  but  the  next  day  they  were 
both  punished  with  bastinado.  Thus  was  the  lives  of 
those  unfortunate  youths  rendered  extremely  miser- 
able. Every  moment  they  were  menaced  with  bastina- 
does, hard  labor,  chains  and  death,  and,  when  we 
consider  that  the  Dey  has  the  power  of  putting  his 
menaces  into  execution  with  as  much  ease  as  he  has 
to  do  any  act,  no  matter  how  frivolous,  we  will  readily 
conceive  that  their  situation  was  by  no  means  envi- 
able, their  fine  clothes,  money  and  good  living  not 
excepted.  The  Christian  slaves  in  the  upper  galleries 
are  subject  to  the  same  indignities  from  the  Hasna- 
dars,  (ie)  Chamberlains  that  those  above  suffer  from 
the  Dey  and  are  often  bastinadoed  for  mere  trifles, 
such  as  speaking  loud,  procrastinating  any  part  of 
the  service  assigned  them,  being  found  out  of  their 
rooms  after  a  certain  hour,  or  speaking  to  any  of  the 
cooks  or  the  Christians  in  the  garden,  and  on  a 
thousand  other  pretenses.  I  have  heard  those  illib- 
eral minded  Renegades  commence  an  absurd  argu- 
ment with  some  of  the  slaves  and  on  being  confuted 
beat  their  opponents  most  unmercifully,  and  tell 
them  they  would  teach  them  better  manners  than  to 
dare  to  contradict  them  when  they  condescended  to 
converse  with  them.  The  cooks  have  harder  labor 
and  less  money  than  the  other  slaves,  but  have  more 
liberty  and,  when  the  chief  cook  is  a  good  man, 
which  was  the  case  while  I  remained  in  the  palace, 
their  situations  were  by  far  the  most  tolerable. 

The  first  two  months  I  was  stationed  in  the  palace 
garden    nothing    very    particular    happened.       We 


22  THE    CAPTIVES. 

watched  the  wild  beasts  in  rotation  and  performed 
the  other  duties  assigned  us  without  murmuring  and 
were  generally  or  individually  abused  by  the  Cham- 
berlains once  or  twice  a  day  when  they  came  to  wash 
in  order  to  purify  themselves  before  they  said  their 
prayers,  and  very  often  some  were  bastinadoed  from 
mere  caprice.  As  I  understood  the  French  and 
Spanish  languages  sufficiently  to  read  their  authors, 
I  employed  myself  in  reading  such  books  as  I  could 
borrow  from  the  other  slaves  and  writing,  or  teach- 
ing some  of  my  companions  practical  navigation; 
this  procured  me  the  title  of  the  false  priest,  the 
moshabbe,  and  many  other  names  of  a  similar  nature 
from  the  Chamberlains,  and  as  the  lower  class,  to  in- 
gratiate themselves  with  their  superiors,  generally 
imitate  them,  these  appellations  proved  a  great 
source  of  disquiet  and  involved  me  in  continual  dis- 
putes both  with  the  Chamberlains  and  Christians, 
and  as  I  always  refuted  their  arguments,  it  ultimately 
procured  me  many  enemies  among  whom  was  Ciddi 
Aly  the  Chief  Chamberlain,  who  uniformally  perse- 
cuted me  through  the  rest  of  my  captivity  until  he 
was  ultimately  expelled  from  the  Regency  by  Hassan 
Bashaw.  A  little  more  than  two  months  after  my 
admission  into  the  Dey's  garden,  the  slaves  were 
permitted  to  go  out  into  the  town  in  consequence  of 
the  great  festival  of  which  the  first  and  last  day  is 
celebrated  in  the  palace  with  feasting,  music,  wrest- 
ling, and  fireworks  of  very  poor  construction,  before 
the  palace  gate.  In  the  morning  on  the  first  day  the 
banner  of  Mahomet  is  hoisted  on  the  palace  and  the 
national  flag  on  the  fortifications,  the  cannon  of  the 


POLITICAL   STATE    OF   ALGIERS.  23 

fortifications  are  fired,  those  next  the  sea  with  ball. 
When  the  wrestling  is  ended,  the  officers  of  the 
Regency  and  inhabitants  kiss  the  Dey's  hand  while 
seated  on  his  thix)ne,  having  the  Hasnagi  Agas  at 
Hodga  Beitelmel  and  Vikilharche  of  the  Marine 
standing  on  his  left  hand,  and  the  Chauxes  and  other 
inferior  officers  behind  them.  After  the  Mussulmen 
have  all  performed  this  act  of  humiliation  and  respect, 
not  even  excepting  the  hangman  and  scavengers,  the 
Consuls  have  that  honor  conferred  on  them,  next  to 
them  the  head  clerk  and  then  the  chief  of  the  Jew 
brokers  of  the  palace  and  their  dependents.  The 
Dey  then  invited  the  five  Grandees  to  dine  with  him 
in  his  apartments,  they  are  joined  by  the  chief  cook, 
and  after  dinner  they  retire  to  their  respective 
houses  and  the  Dey  generally  goes  to  visit  his  lady 
if  he  is  married,  if  not  he  retires  to  sleep. 

The  second  day  is  a  day  of  recreation  for  the 
slaves,  and  the  third  is  celebrated  in  the  same  man- 
ner as  the  first  except  the  firing  of  the  cannon  and 
visits  from  the  Consuls.  The  British  and  French 
Consuls  sensible  of  the  indignity  they  would  suffer 
by  waiting  on  the  Dey  the  first  day  of  the  festival 
always  wait  on  him  the  day  before,  neither  do  they 
kiss  his  hand.  On  the  second  day  of  the  festival  the 
slaves  are  permitted  to  visit  their  friends  and  to 
absent  themselves  from  six  or  seven  in  the  morning 
until  one  in  the  afternoon,  but  are  generally  excused 
if  they  return  by  three,  some  few  in  particular  em- 
ployment excepted.  By  special  grace  we  were  per- 
mitted to  visit  our  countrymen  at  the  British  Consul's 
garden  which  was  about  three  miles  from  the  city. 


24  THE    CAPTIVES. 

and  there,  to  our  surprise,  we  found  Captain  O'Brien 
with  a  hoe  digging  a  hole  to  plant  a  tree  in  the  Con- 
sul's garden;  Stephens,  with  the  capote  given  him  by 
the  Regency  tied  round  his  middle  with  a  straw  rope, 
driving  a  mule  loaded  with  manure  for  the  root  of 
the  tree,  and  Coffin,  who  was  consumptive,  feeding 
the  hogs  and  poultry.  We  could  not  refrain  from 
tears  at  viewing  their  humiliating  situation  which 
affected  us  the  more  as  they  suffered  this  indignity 
from  a  person,  (the  British  Consul) ,  who  ranked 
among  Christians  and  gentlemen,  was  of  the  same 
religion  and  spoke  the  same  language,  and  from 
whom  a  more  humane  treatment  might  naturally 
have  been  expected.  We  stayed  but  a  short  time, 
shared  the  money  that  had  been  given  to  us  in  the 
palace  among  them  and  returned  to  town,  visited 
the  poor  fellows  in  the  prison,  borrowed  some  money 
from  our  comrades  to  give  them  and  returned  to  the 
palace  with  a  heavy  heart,  in  order  to  be  immured 
for  ten  months,  where  I  remained  without  once  being 
permitted  to  go  out  and  was  then  sent  to  the  Marine 
in  consequence  of  some  young  Hollanders  being 
captured  on  board  a  Russian  prize.  I  had  not  been 
long  in  this  garden  before  the  persecutions  of  the 
Chamberlain  became  intolerable.  I  was  prevented 
from  reading  or  writing  except  by  stealth  and  like- 
wise forbidden  to  speak  to  any  of  my  countrymen, 
who  were  stationed  in  other  parts  of  the  palace. 
This  was  occasioned  by  my  frequently  retorting  on 
them  their  insolence  and  barbarity,  and  in  conse- 
quence of  my  observing  in  conversation  that  those, 
who  were  base  enough  to  renegade  the  faith  of  their 


POLITICAL   STATE    OF   ALGIERS,  2^ 

forefathers,  generally  became  the  most  bitter  enemies 
of  those  who  continue  faithful,  in  order  to  induce 
the  secretaries,  whose  tenets  they  embrace,  to  be- 
lieve that  they  were  really  converted  and  had  re- 
nounced their  former  opinions  or  convictipns,  that 
they  were  really  erroneous  and  thus  made  up  for 
their  ignorance  by  hypocricy  and  a  pretended  zeal 
for  what  they  did  not  understand.  This  was  reported 
to  Ciddi  Aly  and  Ciddi  Mahomed  (who  were  both 
renegades  from  the  Greek  church)  probably  with 
additions  and  afterwards  they  continued  my  most 
inveterate  enemies.  These  deprivations  (being  pre- 
vented from  reading  and  writing)  I  felt  most  sensibly 
and  having  nothing  now  to  divert  my  mental  facul- 
ties I  really  became  a  victim  to  melancholy  reflec- 
tions, my  spirits  were  so  much  depressed  that  I 
fainted  several  times  in  a  day  and,  ultimately,  was 
obliged  to  keep  my  bed.  This  was  construed  by  the 
Chamberlain  as  a  pretense  in  order  to  be  sent  to  the 
hospital  to  divert  myself.  The  Spanish  surgeon 
petitioned  for  me  without  effect;  however,  he  ren- 
dered me  assistance  and  with  the  help  of  a  good 
constitution  I  soon  recovered.  During  my  illness 
the  Portuguese  and  Spaniards  were  continually  per- 
suading me  to  change  my  religion,  to  confess  imme- 
diately to  restore  myself  to  the  bosom  of  the  Holy 
Mother  church.  One  old  man,  who  had  been  nine- 
teen years  in  the  garden,  and  who  had  experienced 
better  days,  seemed  particularly  interested  for  my 
soul.  He  very  charitably  offered  to  take  all  my 
sins  upon  himself,  and  to  guarantee  my  full  absolu- 
tion both  in  this  world  and  the  next  and  then  laconic- 


26  THE     CAPTIVES. 

ally  asserted  that  if  I  died  in  the  state  of  heretical 
reprobation  that  I  was  now  in,  he  would  pawn  his 

own  salvation  that  I  would  be  d d  to  all  eternity. 

So  intent  were  these  poor  slaves  on  my  conversion 
that  I  really  believe,  had  I  proposed  to  change  my 
faith  by  subscription,  that  I  would  have  raised  a  sum 
sufficient  for  my  redemption.  I  had  been  about  four 
months  in  captivity  when  one  evening  I  heard  a 
noise  in  another  part  of  the  garden.  Induced  by 
curiosity  to  know  the  cause,  I  went  to  where  the 
sound  proceeded  from  and  found  to  my  no  small 
astonishment  the  two  Chamberlains,  diverting  them- 
selves, beating  with  two  sticks  on  the  soles  of  the 
feet  of  a  Portuguese  who  roared  most  tremendously. 
I  asked  his  crime  but  received  no  answer  before  I  was 
seized  by  four  stout  Moors  who  threw  me  down, 
pinioned  my  legs  and  arms  and  the  same  game  was 
played  on  the  soles  of  my  feet  to  the  tune  of  twenty- 
eight  hard  blows,  which  produced  the  most  excruciat- 
ing pain  and  left  me  with  four  toe  nails  less  than  I 
had  before  this  game  commenced.  All  the  fourteen 
were  served  in  the  same  manner,  none  were  pardoned 
for  age  or  infirmity,  but  old  men  of  sixty  and  children 
of  ten  years  of  age  received  the  bastinado  without 
ever  knowing  what  it  was  for.  After  some  days  had 
elapsed,  we  found  that  we  were  indebted  to  the  head 
gardener,  a  native  of  Malta,  for  this  refreshment.  It 
seems  he  had  complained  that  he  could  not  keep  us 
in  subjection,  that  we  made  use  of  the  fruit  which 
was  intended  for  the  Dey,  and  several  frivolous 
charges,  but,  as  he  could  not  particularize  the  offend- 
ers, the  Chamberlains  concluded  that  by  chastising 


POLITICAL    STATE    OF    ALGIERS.  27 

the  whole,  they  would  undoubtedly  find  those  who 
had  offended.  As  for  the  innocent  suffering  unjust- 
ly that  was  a  trifle  of  such  little  moment  that  it 
either  entirely  passed  their  notice  or  was  deemed 
unworthy  of  attention.  Twice  more  was  I  bastina- 
doed while  I  remained  in  the  palace,  once  for  writing 
and  the  last  time  for  speaking  to  some  of  the  Ameri- 
cans who  belonged  to  the  upper  apartments.  In  the 
last  were  involved  seven  or  eight.  My  comrade  was 
included  who  was  a  simple,  ignorant  lad  who  was  so 
much  terrified  that  it  had  a  sensible  effect  on  his 
mind  and  I  am  sure  it  was  the  first  step  which  caused 
him  to  lose  his  reason,  of  which  more  will  be  said 
hereafter.  I  could  never  have  endured  the  anxiety 
and  degradation  under  which  I  labored  for  any 
length  of  time  had  I  not  placed  the  greatest  confi- 
dence in  the  generosity  of  mycountry.  I  thought  it 
impossible  that  a  nation  just  emerged  from  slavery 
herself  would  abandon  the  men  who  had  fought  for 
her  independence  to  an  ignominious  captivity  in 
Barbary,  when  they  could  be  immediately  redeemed 
for  less  than  $50,000.  I  was  not  ignorant  of  the  em- 
barrassments that  our  government  labored  under  be- 
fore the  adoption  of  the  present  Constitution,  yet 
the  sound  policy  of  redeeming  their  citizens  imme- 
diately appeared  so  evident  that  I  was  confirmed  in 
my  hopes,  and,  although  I  knew  the  treasury  at  that 
period  was  very  poor,  I  was  so  sanguine  as  to  believe 
that  the  sum  would  be  loaned  immediately  to  the 
government  by  individuals,  or  that  our  fellow  citizens 
would  have  raised  it  by  subscription,  but  I  reckoned 
''without  my  host,"  as  I  lived  more  than  ten  years 


28  THE     CAPTIVES. 

after  this  in  captivity,  experiencing  every  indignity 
that  Barbarians  could  invent  to  render  the  life  of  a 
Christian  miserable  in  the  extreme,  and  I  hesitate  not 
to  assert  that  no  class  of  men  suffered  in  any  degree 
so  much  by  the  consequences  attending  the  Ameri- 
can Revolution  as  those  who  were  captured  by  the 
Algerines  in  1785. 

The  infirmities  of  age  prevented  Mahomed 
Bashaw  from  visiting  the  different  apartments  of  the 
palace  so  often  as  formerly.  He  now  only  came  to 
the  bath  in  the  garden  once  a  month  and  always  be- 
fore daylight.  The  Chamberlains,  being  thus  deliv- 
ered from  the  apprehension  of  complaints  being 
lodged  against  them  by  the  slaves,  gave  loose  to 
their  tyrany  and  never  came  to  the  garden  without  a 
stick  in  their  hands  and  never  failed  to  use  it  on  some 
of  the  unhappy  captives,  and,  frequently,  I  became 
the  victim  of  their  rage.  To  divert  themselves  they 
had  two  small  brass  cannon  with  which  they  fired 
at  marks,  but  if  they  missed  they  never  failed 
to  vent  their  spleen  on  the  bystanders.  To  com- 
plete my  sufferings  Ciddi  Mahomed  had  a  great 
propensity  to  study  alchemy  and  pitched  upon  me 
for  his  assistant,  he  asked  me  my  opinion  of  the 
science.  I  treated  it  with  ridicule.  Sometimes  I  told 
him  the  Emperor  Caligula  was  the  first  who  prepared 
natural  arsenic  in  order  to  make  gold  of  it,  and  left 
it  off  in  time,  as  many  others  would  be  obliged  to  do, 
if  they  did  not  wish  to  ruin  themselves  as  they  found 
the  expenses  exceeded  the  profits  considerably,  and 
many  stories  of  a  similar  tendency,  but  these  obser- 
vations had  no  effect  upon  this  infatuated  man.     He 


POLITICAL   STATE    OF   ALGIERS.  29 

still  persevered  and  every  crucible  of  metal  procured 
me  the  most  opprobrious  language;  at  length  he  took 
it  into  his  head  that  I  knew  something  of  the  art, 
and  relaxed  the  rigor  of  his  treatment,  and  descend- 
ed to  mean  adulation  in  order  to  induce  me  to 
divulge  all  the  secrets  of  the  art  with  which  he  sup- 
posed I  was  acquainted.  With  a  little  address  I 
might  have  converted  this  alchymist  from  being  my 
inveterate  enemy  to  be  my  temporary  friend  at  the 
small  price  of  my  conscience,  but  the  truth  is  I 
dispised  him  and  my  vanity  would  not  permit  me  to 
temporize  with  a  person  of  his  character  who  daily 
had  taken  advantage  of  my  situation,  and  treated  me 
so  inhumanely  merely  because  he  could  do  it  with  im- 
punity. Ciddi  Aly  likewise  ridiculed  the  idea  of 
making  the  philosopher's  stone,  and  one  day  came 
into  the  garden  and  being  in  a  good  humor  ex- 
claimed, "What  the  devil  is  the  false  priest  likewise  a 
gold  maker?  If  the  Bashaw  knows  this  he  will  not  let 
him  be  redeemed  until  he  turns  every  cassarole  in  the 
palace  into  pure  gold."  I  said  nothing  is  farther 
from  me  my  lord,  than  to  have  any  pretention  to 
the  knowledge  of  so  sublime  an  art.  I  have  read 
that  it  has  been  said  in  times  of  ignorance,  that  the 
Arabians  were  supposed  to  have  invented  this  mys- 
terious art,  wherein  they  were  followed  by  Raymond, 
Lullius,  Paracelsus  and  others  of  different  nations 
who  never  found  anything  but  ashes  in  their  furnaces 
and  repentance  in  their  hearts.  So  many  have  been 
ruined  by  this  infatuating  science  that  it  is  now 
entirely  neglected  and  the  authors  who  treated  on 
that  subject  ridiculed   as  it   is  well   known  that  the 


30  THE    CAPTIVES. 

quadrature  of  the  circle,  perpetual  motion,  inex- 
tinguishable lamp  and  philosopher's  stone  have  en- 
gaged the  attention  of  philosophers  and  mathemati- 
cians from  time  immemorial  without  any  effect,  and 
with  all  just  deference  to  Ciddi  Mahomed's  superior 
judgment  is  it  reasonable  for  him  to  expect  to  suc- 
ceed with  the  small  assistance  he  receives  from  a  few 
leaves  of  an  old  Arabic  author,  two  or  three  crucibles 
and  a  small  portable  furnace,  when  so  many  who 
have  made  this  art  their  study  for  their  whole  lives 
and  had  every  convenience  that  a  large  fortune  could 
provide,  have  ultimately  failed  and  ended  their  pur- 
suits in  ruin?  "Yes,"  answered  Ciddi  Aly  laughing, 
'*But  they  did  not  possess  the  charms  that  Ciddi 
Mahomed  knows."  That  is  possible  my  lord,  but 
permit  me  to  observe  that  it  would  be  as  easy  to 
charm  me  into  a  good  Mussulman  as  to  convert  that 
metal  in  the  crucible  to  pure  gold.  "Ah!  thou  false 
priest,  though  hardened  Infidel!  I  know  that  to  be 
impossible,  you  are  destined  to  take  up  your  eternal 

residence  in  the  mansions  of  the  d d."    With  this  he 

gave  a  kick  to  the  crucible  and  walked  away  with 
Ciddi  Aly  who  laughed  very  heartily  and  Ciddi 
Mahomed  muttered  something  in  the  Turkish  lan- 
guage which  I  did  not  understand.  During  the  time 
I  remained  in  the  palace  no  mention  was  made  of 
the  philosopher's  stone,  nor  was  I  used  any  worse 
than  my  fellow  prisoners,  but  in  all  reason  that  was 
bad  enough  to  satisfy  the  malevolence  of  a  disap- 
pointed Greek  alchemist,  or  even  the  persecuting 
spirit  of  the  inquisition. 


POLITICAL    STATE    OF    ALGIERS.  3 1 

The  period  now  approached  that  was  to  put  an 
end  to  my  sufferings  in  the  palace,  and  to  give  birth 
to  a  new  species  of  indignity.  Two  large  vessels,  the 
one  a  Russian  and  the  other  a  Leghornese,  were  cap- 
tured by  the  Cruisers  of  Algiers,  on  board  of  which 
were  several  handsome  youths  who  were  taken  into 
the  palace,  and  eight  of  the  oldest  and  ugliest  were 
sent  into  the  Slave  prison  called  the  Bagnio  Belique 
in  order  to  be  sent  to  hard  labor  the  next  day,  among 
whom  was  myself  and  my  American  comrade  before 
mentioned,  but  as  we  had  not  committed  any  crime 
we  had  none  of  our  clothes  taken  from  us  but  were 
permitted  to  depart  with  all  our  wardrobe.  As  this 
closes  the  first  year  of  my  captivity,  and  the  next 
opens  with  fresh  scenes  of  horror  I  shall  conclude 
this  chapter  and  in  my  next  give  a  circumstantial 
detail  of  Mr.  Lamb's  negotiation  with  the  Regency 
of  Algiers  which  proved  extremely  detrimental  to 
the  captives  as  it  fed  them  with  false  hopes  of  ob- 
taining their  liberty  soon,  and  prevented  their  friends 
from  exerting  themselves  to  procure  their  ransom, 
and  by  deceiving  the  Dey  with  unwarranted  expecta- 
tions he  committed  the  honor  and  dignity  of  his 
country  and  led  the  Dey  and  Grandees  to  believe 
that  the  government  of  the  United  States  was 
trifling  with  them  and  in  the  event  of  a  negotiation 
for  peace  prevented  that  explicit  confidence  being 
placed  in  the  promises  of  the  negotiators  on  the  part 
of  the  United  States,  a  sacred  adherence  to,  and  com- 
pliance with,  ought  forever  to  characterize  the  public 
operations  of  contracting  powers,  especially  those 
divided  by  so  great  a  distance  as  the  United  States 
and  the  Regency  of  Barbary. 


CHAPTER  III. 

On  the  25th  of  March  1786  John  Lamb,  Esq., 
Ambassador  Plenipotentiary  from  the  United  States 
of  America,  and  Mr.  Randall,  Secretary,  arrived  at 
Algiers  in  a  Spanish  Brig  commanded  by  Capt. 
Basilini.  He  was  recommended  by  the  Count 
Expilley,  his  Catholic  Majesty's  Ambassador  and 
Monsieur  du  Kersey,  his  Christian  Majesty's  Consul 
General,  and  Mr.  John  Woulfe  a  British  Merchant, 
who  had  long  been  in  Barbary  and  was  perfectly  ac- 
quainted with  the  manner  of  conducting  business  in 
those  Regencies.  It  is  worthy  of  remark  that  this 
Cosmopolitan  Ambassador  was  recommended  to  the 
agents  of  the  nations  whose  interests  were  exactly 
opposite,  and  probably  did  not  combine  in  any  one 
article  except  preventing  the  United  States  of 
America  from  obtaining  a  peace  with  the  piratical 
states  of  Barbary.  France  had  for  a  number  of  years 
monopolized  the  whole  trade  of  the  Barbary  states, 
and  had  established  several  factories  on  their  coasts; 
and,  by  the  intrigues  of  the  African  Company  and 
Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Marseilles,  and  her  agents, 
had,  in  a  great  measure,  impeded  the  success  of  the 
different  Armados  sent  against  Algiers  by  the  Span- 
iards and  their  confederates.  So  sensible  were  they 
of  the  advantages  arising  from  an  undivided  com- 


POLITICAL    STATE    OF    ALGIERS.  33 

merce  that  exclusive  of  the  stipulations  paid  for  the 
monopoly  of  several  important  articles  of  trade  and 
occasional  presents  made  by  that  government  to  the 
Dey  and  Grandees  of  Algiers,  that  of  their  own  free 
will  and  accord,  they  presented  annually  considerable 
presents  of  sweetmeats,  dried  and  preserved  fruits, 
comfits,  marmalades,  pickles,  anchovies,  olives,  cat- 
sup, liquor,  capilier,  orgeat,  chestnuts,  apples,  pears 
and  every  other  nick-nack  that  a  Frenchman  can  in- 
vent or  procure  to  render  himself  acceptable.  This 
present  generally  arrived  in  December,  and  latterly 
custom  had  so  established  their  expectations  that  if 
it  did  not  come  in  time  they  demanded  it  as  a  right, 
and  annoyed  the  Consuls  continually  until  it  was  dis- 
tributed. This  may  serve  to  show  how  pernicious 
any  innovations  are  on  established  customs,  and  how 
much  to  blame  the  Consuls  are  to  make  presents  in 
order  to  obtain  permission  to  load  a  cargo  of  wheat 
when  they  deliver  their  consular  or  bi-ennial  presents. 
If  they  give  a  more  valuable  watch  or  snuff  box  than 
usual  the  next  presents  must  be  as  good  at  least, 
thus  by  degrees  the  consular  and  bi-ennial  presents 
have  amounted  from  an  inconsiderable  sum  annually 
to  the  exorbitant  sum  exacted  at  present,  and  is 
generally  supposed  to  be  occasioned  by  the  rapacity 
of  the  Algerine  government  when  in  reality,  it  has 
been  occasioned  by  the  iniquity  of  the  Consuls.  For 
this  reason  the  British,  French,  and  Spanish  Consuls 
are  prevented  by  their  governments  from  trade,  and 
give  them  and  their  secretaries  competent  salaries  to 
maintain  their  dignity  as  representatives  of  their 
respective    nations;    and    until    the   United     States 


34  THE    CAPTIVES. 

adopts  the  same  plan,  they  will  continually  be  liable 
to  insult  and  imposition.  It  is  not  therefore  to  be 
supposed  that  the  agent  of  the  French  government 
would  assist  an  enterprising  commercial  nation  to 
share  the  commerce  of  the  Mediterranean  by  effect- 
ing a  peace  with  the  states  of  Barbary,  notwithstand- 
ing the  stipulation  in  our  treaty  with  France  to  that 
effect,  already  quoted,  as  it  would  evidently  tend  to 
the  disadvantage  of  the  community  of  which  he  is 
the  member.  The  Spanish  Ambassador  had  it  not 
in  his  power  to  be  of  any  assistance  to  the  United 
States  had  he  been  so  blind  to  the  interest  of  his 
nation  as  to  have  attempted  it.  Hitherto  he  had 
counteracted  the  intrigues  of  the  French  agents  and 
merchants  established  here  by  the  profusion  with 
which  he  lavished  his  Master's  wealth,  and  had  actu- 
ally expended  more  than  was  exacted  for  the  re- 
demption of  the  American  captives,  but  one  insuper- 
able obstacle  he  could  not  surmount,  the  Dey  insist- 
ed on  the  Spaniards  delivering  up  to  them  the 
garrison  of  Oran  in  the  same  state  that  it  was  then 
in,  which  they  had  not  power  to  grant  nor  would  the 
Court  of  Spain  pay  any  attention  to  any  such  pro- 
posal, having  several  years  prior  to  this  refused  the 
Emperor  of  Morocco  a  similar  demand  in  regard  to 
Penon  de  Welly,  Melilla  Centa  and  other  Spanish 
garrisons  on  the  coast  of  that  Empire. 

Mr.  John  Woulfe  had  been  an  unsuccessful  candi- 
date for  both  the  British  and  Spanish  Consulates  of 
Algiers,  though  in  every  respect  calculated  for 
either.  He  had  been  settled  at  Tripoli  in  Barbary 
as  a  merchant  where  he  married  Miss  Aplegath  and 


POLITICAL    STATE    OF    ALGIERS.  35 

moved  from  thence  to  Algiers  in  1779,  and  acted  as 
British  Consul  while  that  Consulate  was  vacant,  but 
like  many  worthy  men  who  are  obliged  to  be  absent 
a  long  time  from  home,  he  had  it  not  in  his  power  to 
make  sufficient  interest  to  obtain  the  appointment. 
Mr.  Logic  had  arrived  in  1785,  and  some  disputes 
having  arisen  between  them,  they  ever  after  viewed 
themselves  as  rivals,  and  Mr.  Logic  spared  no  pains 
to  injure  Mr.  Woulfe's  family  when  he  could  find  the 
least  pretext  to  do  it  with  impunity.  These  events 
rendered  Mr.  Woulfe  a  very  proper  person  to  be 
employed  by  the  government  of  the  United  States 
to  negotiate  a  peace  with  the  Regency  of  Algiers 
or  to  ransom  the  American  captives.  He  under- 
stood the  manners,  customs  and  language  of  the 
Algerine  government,  had  free  access  to  the  head  of 
the  Regency,  and  consequently,  was  under  no  neces- 
sity to  employ  a  third  person,  and  being  disappoint- 
ed in  his  expectations  of  both  the  other  Consulates, 
it  is  not  improbable  that  he  would  propose  to  him- 
self the  American  Consulate  as  his  reward  for  his 
services  in  effecting  a  peace  which  would  induce 
him  to  redouble  his  exertions,  especially  as  he,  in  a 
private  capacity,  could  neither  be  biased  by  private 
considerations  or  national  interest,  to  impede  the 
progress  of  the  negotiations;  but  on  the  contrary,  his 
interest  combined  with  ours  and  as  he  knew  that  a 
peace  was  unattainable  with  the  Regency  of  Algiers 
at  the  present  moment,  he  advised  Mr.  Lamb  to 
endeavor  to  effect  the  ransom  of  the  captives  first, 
and  in  the  meantime,  to  make  interest  with  the 
heads  of  the  Regency  and  endeavor  to  induce  them 


36  THE     CAPTIVES. 

to  get  the  better  of  the  Dey's  partiality  to  Great 
Britain,  which  could  only  be  done  by  their  entreaty 
and  a  rich  present,  besides  presents  to  the  Grandees  for 
their  mediation,  but  as  Mr.  Lamb  was  not  furnished 
with  the  means  for  procuring  those  presents  imme- 
diately, Mr.  Woulfe  wisely  concluded  that  it  would 
be  advisable  to  postpone  informing  the  Dey  that  he 
was  empowered  to  negotiate  the  terms  on  which 
peace  might  be  concluded  until  his  return  with  the 
cash  for  the  redemption  of  the  captives.  The  Count 
de  Expilley  and  Monsieur  du  Kercey  were  of  a 
different  opinion  and  observed  that  the  United 
States  were  not  in  a  situation  to  expend  a  large  sum 
of  money  in  bribing  the  Ministry  of  Algiers  as  Spain 
had  done,  and  therefore,  advised  Mr.  Lamb  to  make 
application  to  the  Dey  at  once  as  the  least  expen- 
sive way  of  negotiating  though  not  the  most  success- 
ful. Mr.  Lamb  took  their  advice  and  requested 
them  to  wait  upon  the  Dey  and  request  his  Excel- 
lency to  permit  him  to  deliver  his  credentials  from 
the  government  of  the  United  States,  and  to  receive 
him  as  their  Ambassador  Plenipotentiary  for  nego- 
tiating a  treaty  of  peace  between  the  said  states  and 
the  Regency  of  Algiers.  This  they  absolutely  re- 
fused to  do,  which  is  sufficient  evidence  that  they 
determined  to  use  their  influence  in  our  favor,  but  after 
some  discussion  they  determined  on  the  same  evening 
to  send  the  French  Consul's  Drogoman  to  the  palace 
(having  been  properly  tutored  for  the  purpose)  to 
make  the  request.  The  Drogoman  returned  saying 
his  Excellency  would  send  an  answer  in  a  few  days, 
not  being  at  leisure  to  weigh  the  Ambassador's  pro- 


POLITICAL    STATE    OF    ALGIERS.  37 

posal.  No  answer  having  been  received  from  the 
Dey  on  the  27th  of  March,  Mr.  Lamb  again  sent  the 
French  Drogoman  to  request  his  Excellency  to  give 
him  a  private  audience,  and  to  permit  him  to  ascer- 
tain the  terms  on  which  his  Excellency  would  con- 
clude a  peace  between  the  Regency  of  Algiers  and 
the  United  States  of  America,  and  to  agree  for  the 
ransom  of  the  American  citizens  now  in  captivity. 
The  Dey  answered  that  there  were  many  insurmount- 
able obstacles  to  be  removed  before  he  could  receive 
an  Ambassador  from  the  United  States  of  America 
to  treat  on  terms  of  peace,  but  if  Mr.  Lamb  would 
content  himself  to  treat  only  for  the  redemption  of 
his  countrymen  in  captivity  he  would  receive  him  in 
a  few  days.  On  the  ist  of  April,  1786,  Mr.  Lamb 
was  introduced  to  the  Dey  by  Monsieur  du  Kercey 
and  Mr.  John  Woulfe.  Mr.  Lamb  requested  his 
Excellency  to  inform  him  what  he  exacted  for  the 
ransom  of  twenty-one  Americans  which  he  held  in 
captivity.  The  Dey  answered  that  he  did  not  con- 
sider them  in  the  same  point  of  view  that  he  did  the 
subjects  of  other  nations  at  war  with  him,  that  he 
would  expect  a  much  higher  price  for  them  and 
would  give  an  answer  at  his  next  audience.  On  the 
3rd  Mr.  Lamb  waited  upon  the  Dey  who  asked  him 
what  he  was  willing  to  give  for  the  ransom  of  his 
countrymen,  when  he  replied  ;^io,ooo.  The  Dey 
answered  "you  may  have  them  for  $50,000  if  you 
think  proper,  but  nothing  less.  I  am  not  anxious  to 
dispose  of  them;  they  are  wanted  to  work  at  the 
Marine;  they  are  the  best  sailors  we  have  and 
Belique  has  plenty  of  bread  and  olives  to  give  them." 


38  THE     CAPTIVES. 

Mr.  Lamb  observed  that  the  price  was  exorbitant 
and  double  the  price  that  any  other  nation  paid  for 
their  people  in  the  same  situation.  "You  are  at 
liberty  to  leave  them"  said  the  Dey.  Mr.  Lamb 
promised  to  give  his  Excellency  an  answer  at  his 
next  audience  and  retired.  On  the  5th  Mr.  Lamb 
went  again  to  the  palace  and  offered  the  Dey  $30,000 
for  the  ransom  of  the  captives.  The  Dey  was  dis- 
pleased with  his  supposing  him  to  be  capable  of 
huckstering  like  a  Jew  and  answered,  "I  should  con- 
ceive that  I  was  defrauding  the  Hasna  (i.  e.)  treasury, 
were  I  to  abate  one  dollar  in  my  demand,  but  as  my 
own  perquisite  is  at  my  own  disposal  I  will  remit 
that  sum  which  is  10  per  cent,  and  if  you  are  not 
satisfied  I  desire  you  will  not  trouble  me  any  more 
on  the  subject.  I  told  you  already  that  we  have 
plenty  of  bread  and  olives  to  give  them."  Mr.  Lamb 
promised  to  consider  on  the  Dey's  demand  and  to 
give  him  his  answer  in  a  few  days.  On  the  7th  Mr. 
Lamb  waited  upon  the  Dey  and  finding  him  inflexi- 
ble he  agreed  to  pay  the  sum  already  mentioned  for 
the  redemption  of  the  captives,  but  specified  that  as 
the  United  States  were  at  a  great  distance,  that  he 
could  not  promise  to  return  with  the  cash  in  less  than 
four  months  from  his  departure  from  Algiers.  The 
Dey  answered  the  sooner  he  paid  the  money  the 
sooner  he  should  have  the  captives.  Mr.  Lamb  re- 
tired to  the  French  Consul's  house  where  the  Dey 
sent  his  own  Drogoman  a  short  time  afterwards  to 
desire  him  to  come  to  the  palace.  He  immediately 
complied  and  the  Dey  interrogated  him  to  know 
whether  he  was  perfectly  contented  with  the  agree- 


POLITICAL    STATE    OF    ALGIERS.  39 

ment  he  had  made.  He  answered  that  he  would 
have  been  better  content  had  the  terms  been  more 
favorable,  but  that  he  ratified  the  agreement  and 
hoped  that  his  Excellency  in  consequence  thereof 
would  be  disposed  to  listen  to  his  proposals  of 
peace  on  the  part  of  the  United  States  when  he  re- 
turned with  the  cash.  ''Make  peace  with  your  father 
the  King  of  England"  answered  the  Dey  "and  then 
come  to  me  and  I  will  make  peace  with  you."  He 
then  ordered  Osman  Hodga,  principal  Secretary  of 
State,  to  register  in  the  books  of  the  Regency  that 
the  American  had  agreed  to  redeem  twenty-one 
American  prisoners  for  the  sum  of  $48,300  Spanish 
dollars  prime  cost,  and  had  promised  to  return  with 
the  cash  in  four  months  from  his  departure  from 
Algiers.  Mr.  Lamb  took  leave  of  the  Dey  and  re- 
turned to  the  French  Consul's  house  The  event  was 
the  topic  of  conversation  for  several  days.  The 
American  prisoners  were  in  a  manner  reanimated  and 
resolved  to  bear  the  remaining  four  months  of  their 
captivity  with  becoming  patience  and  fortitude.  No 
further  hopes  were  entertained  of  procuring  peace 
at  present,  but  Mr.  Woulfe  determined  to  try  every 
justifiable  means  to  lay  the  foundation  of  one  by  Mr. 
Lamb's  return  with  the  cash,  and  anticipating  suc- 
cess, advised  Mr,  Lamb  before  his  departure  to  wait 
upon  the  Intendant  General  of  the  Marine  who  had 
great  influence  with  the  Dey,  and  to  endeavor  to  en- 
gage his  good  offices  in  our  behalf.  With  these 
views  Mr.  Lamb  waited  on  the  Intendant  General  at 
his  garden  and  was  introduced  by  Capt.  Basilini. 
None   of   the   gentlemen  to  whom  he  was  recom- 


40  THE    CAPTIVES. 

mended  choosing  to  be  present.  Mr.  Lamb  solicited 
his  mediation  with  the  Dey  in  favor  of  the  United 
States,  but  was  answered  that  the  United  States  had 
chosen  an  improper  time  to  sue  for  peace;  that  Spain 
had  not  terminated  her  affairs  with  this  Regency; 
that  their  subjects  were  still  in  captivity;  that  there 
was  no  knowing  what  turn  affairs  might  take  before 
they  were  finally  settled;  that  the  government  of 
Algiers  made  it  a  rule  never  to  negotiate  for  peace 
with  two  Christian  powers  at  once;  that,  exclusive 
of  the  above  impediment  being  in  the  way  of  our 
negotiation,  the  Dey  had  private  reasons  for  not  ad- 
mitting him  in  that  capacity  at  the  present  time; 
that  for  his  own  part  he  was  well  disposed  towards 
the  Americans  himself,  but  that  under  existing  cir- 
cumstances Mr.  Lamb  could  not  help  seeing  the  in- 
utility as  well  as  the  impropriety  of  his  interfering  in 
the  affair  when  the  Dey  had  given  him  a  positive 
negative  already.  Mr.  Lamb  left  Algiers  without 
making  any  further  application  to  any  person  and 
left  the  prisoners  in  the  lively  hope  of  seeing  him 
with  the  money  for  their  ransom  in  four  months,  the 
limited  time.  They  little  imagined  they  were  to 
remain  over  ten  years  longer  in  captivity  after  the 
honor  of  their  country  was  pawned  for  their  redemp- 
tion, but  nevertheless- that  was  the  case.  I  was  not 
informed  at  this  time  by  whom  Mr.  Lamb  was  em- 
powered to  negotiate  or  whether  he  was  empowered 
at  all,  but  that  he  made  the  agreement  and  that  the 
government  of  the  United  States  never  ratified  it,  the 
consequences  of  which  was  no  confidence  was  placed 
in  anything  that  was   said  in   our  behalf  and  we  re- 


POLITICAL   STATE    OF   ALGIERS.  4I 

mained  nearly  eleven  years  in  the  vilest  slavery  are 
facts  as  incontrovertible  as  they  are  lamentable. 
I  have  since  been  informed  that  he  was  empowered 
by  Messrs.  Jefferson  and  Adams  and  I  have  seen 
the  copy  of  their  letters  (1787).  Had  Mr.  Lamb 
been  a  man  in  every  way  adequate  to  the  task  he 
had  undertaken,  circumstances  were  such  when  he 
arrived  in  Algiers  that  he  could  have  effected  little 
more  than  he  did;  this  however  was  not  the  case  as 
he  was  extremely  illiterate  and  as  vulgar  as  can  well 
be  imagined,  which  did  not  create  the  most  favorable 
opinion  of  the  government  which  he  said  had  sent  him, 
nor  were  the  impressions  which  he  left  behind  him  at  all 
favorable  to  himself  or  his  fellow  citizens  in  captivity. 
It  may  not  be  improper  in  this  place  to  observe  that 
the  idea  cherished  by  our  government  at  that  period, 
that  the  redemption  of  the  captives  would  effect  our 
obtaining  a  peace  was  extremely  erroneous,  for  the 
Barbary  states  detain  captives  on  purpose  to  have  it 
in  their  power  to  impose  what  terms  of  peace  they 
think  proper  on  the  nations  who  claim  them  as  citi- 
zens or  subjects.  But  that  was  not  the  case  in  regard 
to  us  at  Algiers,  for  in  this  as  well  as  in  every  subse- 
quent negotiation  no  impediment  was  placed  in  the 
way  of  our  redemption,  independent  of  any  stipula- 
tion being  made  for  peace,  consequently  we  could 
not  affect  it  in  any  other  way  than  by  depriving  the 
government  and  their  agents  of  a  source  of  intelli- 
gence which  might  be  depended  on,  but  I  could  not 
for  a  moment  suppose  that  they  would  keep  a  num- 
ber of  men  in  slavery  for  eleven  years  and  more 
without  even   furnishing  them   with  the   means   of 


42  THE    CAPTIVES. 

subsistence,  had  no  better  means  for  doing  so  than 
the  above  existed;  and  although  our  government  at 
that  time  was  poor,  they  could  easily  have  raised  the 
sum  exacted  for  our  redemption.  One  cargo  of 
tobacco  sold  in  England,  France  or  Holland,  would 
have  paid  our  ransom.  In  consequence  of  her 
most  Faithful  Majesty  sending  an  efficient  force  to 
Gibraltar  to  prevent  the  Cruisers  from  Barbary 
proceeding  to  cruise  in  the  Atlantic  ocean  and  the 
Dey  sending  his  Cruisers  to  assist  the  Grand  Signior 
against  the  Russians  in  the  Black  sea,  nothing  was 
attempted  against  the  nations  at  peace  with  Algiers, 
nor  did  any  negotiation  of  moment  take  place  for 
some  years.  The  first  was  an  attempt  made  by  Messrs. 
Bushara  and  Danino,  Hebrew  merchants,  to  ascer- 
tain the  sum  exacted  for  the  remainder  of  the  Ameri- 
cans who  had  escaped  the  plague.  This  they  effected 
in  1790,  not  without  some  difficulty,  as  will  be  seen 
by  the  transactions  of  that  period.  In  the  meantime 
I  will  continue  my  narrative  of  the  treatment  we 
received  from  the  departure  of  Mr.  Lamb  until  the 
above  mentioned  negotiation  took  place,  which 
terminated  exactly  as  Mr.  Lamb  had  done. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Three  months  had  elapsed  since  the  departure  of 
Mr.  Lamb,  when  the  Christians  arrived  which  caused 
our  expulsion  from  the  palace  garden.  We  were  in 
lively  expectation  of  a  speedy  redemption,  but  I 
must  candidly  confess  that  I  was  not  so  sanguine 
as  a  number  of  my  fellow  sufferers;  we  had  heard 
nothing  from  Mr.  Lamb  since  his  departure,  and  I 
conceived  that  in  three  months  (had  he  a  credit  in 
Europe)  he  would  have  given  the  Regency  some  ac- 
count of  his  proceedings,  and  considering  that  he  had 
likewise  requested  to  negotiate  a  peace,  I  naturally 
concluded  that  he  would  be  obliged  to  communicate 
his  proceedings  to  congress  before  any  step  would 
be  taken  towards  our  redemption,  and  consequently, 
did  not  expect  to  be  redeemed  in  less  than  nine  or 
ten  months  from  his  departure  from  Algiers;  never- 
theless I  was  rejoiced  to  leave  the  palace  garden,  as 
at  that  period  I  could  not  conceive  that  a  more 
humiliating  situation  than  mine  was  in  existence.  I 
was  convinced  that  the  honor  of  our  country  was 
connected  with  our  redemption;  that  it  could  not 
possibly  be  protracted  for  more  than  a  year  at  the 
utmost,  and  I  finally  resolved  to  bear  the  hardest 
labor  accompanied  with  hunger,  nakedness  and  all 
their  concomitant  miseries  in  preference  to  the  senti- 


44  THE    CAPTIVES. 

mental  afflictions  I  then  suffered.  I  was  likewise 
actuated  by  so  strong  a  desire  to  change  my  situa- 
tion in  hopes  of  procuring  information  which  would 
enable  me  to  ameliorate  it,  and  be  the  means  of 
alleviating  the  sufferings  of  my  unfortunate  fellow 
citizens,  that  I  really  viewed  my  expulsion  from  the 
palace  garden  as  the  greatest  blessing  that  could 
befall  me  under  the  existing  circumstances.  On  the 
evening  of  the  29th  of  July,  1786,  the  Christian  chief 
clerk  of  the  Dey  and  Regency  informed  the  captives 
in  the  palace  garden  that  he  had  orders  to  conduct 
eight  of  them  to  the  Bagnio  Belique,  as  the  Dey  had 
thought  proper  to  replace  them  with  the  captives 
newly  arrived.  Accordingly  two  Portuguese,  two 
Americans,  and  four  Spaniards,  among  whom  was 
myself  and  unfortunate  companion,  were  selected  and 
ordered  to  prepare  ourselves  immediately.  My 
wardrobe  was  contained  in  a  small  basket,  which 
with  two  blankets,  a  few  books  and  papers,  a  four- 
dollar  gold  coin  and  two  sequins  in  gold,  constituted 
the  whole  of  my  worldly  possessions.  We  left  the 
palace  without  regret  as  we  were  ignorant  of  the 
situation  we  were  destined  for,  but  we  were  soon  un- 
deceived, and  for  myself  I  candidly  own  that  I  found 
a  great  deal  of  difference  between  the  Bagnio 
Belique  and  hard  labor  at  the  public  works,  and  the 
palace  garden  with  all  its  evils,  but  the  nature  of 
mankind  is  such  that  they  are  never  sensible  of  the 
blessings  they  enjoy  until  they  are  deprived  of  them, 
when  they  learn  to  appreciate  their  value  by  com- 
parison. We  rejoiced  that  we  had  escaped  the 
humiliation  of  taking  care  of  wild  beasts  and  keeping 


POLITICAL    STATE    OF    ALGIERS.  45 

the  garden  in  order,  and  the  tyranny  of  the  two 
Hasnadars,  but  did  not  consider  that  seeking  to 
avoid  Scylla"  we  had  fallen  upon  Charibdis  and  were 
now  exposed  to  the  more  ferocious  Ibram  Rais 
Guardian  Bashaw%  and  his  numerous  minions,  a 
more  motley  crew  than  whom  never  breathed  the 
ambient  air.  I  observed  that  the  Regency  only 
allows  the  slaves  in  the  palace  their  living  on  their 
first  arrival,  they  are  ever  afterwards  obliged  to 
furnish  themselves  with  every  article  of  apparel  from 
the  perquisites  they  receive,  which  are  collected 
from  the  coffeegies  in  the  following  manner.  When 
the  Beys,  Caliphs,  Alcaides,  Sheiks  and  in  general 
every  stranger  who  is  permitted  the  honor  of  drink- 
ing coffee  with  the  Dey,  including  Christian  Am- 
bassadors and  sometimes  Consuls,  are  presented  with 
coffee,  when  they  return  the  cup  they  put  a  quantity 
of  gold  according  to  their  rank  into  it  and  give  it  to 
the  coffeegie,  who  depoits  it  in  a  box  in  the  Dey's 
apartment.  His  Excellency  generally  makes  a  small 
addition  to  it  himself  and  divides  it  twice  a  year 
among  the  captives  according  to  his  own  pleasure. 
It  sometimes  amounts  to  ^3,oco  annually  and  is 
seldom  less  than  ^2,000,  which  is  sufficient  to  supply 
all  their  wants  as  well  as  to  enable  them  to  assist 
their  brother  sufferers  at  hard  labor  in  the  nauseous 
prisons  called  the  Bagnios,  of  which  there  are  three, 
which  shall  be  described  in  due  season.  The  coffee- 
gies, in  addition  to  their  share  of  the  money  extorted 
in  a  manner  from  the  Dey's  visitors,  are  allowed  to 
pester  the  Beys  and  Caliphs  when  they  visit  the 
Hasnagi  and  chief  cooks,  and  seldom  fail  to  bene- 


46  THE    CAPTIVES. 

fit  by  their  impudence.  Several  of  the  other  slaves 
are  likewise  permitted  to  waylay  those  great  men 
on  the  palace  stairs  and  under  the  pretense  of  pay- 
ing their  devoirs  by  kissing  their  hands,  likewise  levy 
their  contributions  while  they  show  their  respect  in 
proportion  to  the  sums  they  receive,  which,  if  not 
equal  to  their  expectations,  which  seldom  is  the  case, 
never  fail  to  curse  the  supposed  parsimony  of  the 
donor.  Once  when  Salah  Bey  of  Constantine,  who 
was  very  liberal,  was  retreating  from  the  Dey's 
palace  with  as  much  expedition  as  possible,  his 
patience  and  cash  being  nearly  exhausted,  he  was 
saluted  by  an  inferior  Moor  of  his  province,  who  was 
employed  by  the  Dey.  Here,  says  Salah  Bey,  take 
your  revenge,  giving  him  some  money,  your  country- 
men shall  reimburse  me  on  my  return  to  Constantine. 
I  am  at  Algiers  what  your  Sheiks  are  there,  they 
complain  of  the  exactions  which  it  is  my  duty  to 
make  upon  them  in  order  to  pay  the  tribute  due  to 
the  Dey  and  Regency;  but  if  they  had  once  made  a 
tri-ennial  visit  to  Algiers  they  would  marvel  at  my 
moderation  and  be  no  way  ambitious  of  the  apparent 
respect  which  is  shown  me  by  the  different  classes 
of  the  inhabitants,  which  has  cost  me  so  many  thou- 
sands; but  so  long  as  Bobba  Mahomed  (meaning  the 
Dey)  is  content,  then  I  am  perfectly  satisfied.  May 
the  immortal  Allah  prolong  his  reign  in  happiness 
and  internal  peace,  beloved  by  his  subjects,  and 
feared  by  his  enemies.  There  are  other  Christians 
who  have  likewise  a  right,  founded  on  custom,  to 
pay  their  respects  to  the  Beys  and  Caliphs  among 
whom  are  the  Dey's  chief  attendant  in  the  palace  (who 


POLITICAL    STATE    OF    ALGIERS.  47 

carries  them  the  Caftan  or  role  of  honor  from  the 
Dey,  who  is  rewarded  by  the  Beys  with  about  two 
hundred  dollars  and  by  the  Caliph  with  about  half 
that  sum)  the  Dey's  chief  Christian  clerk,  his  clerk 
and  several  others,  besides  those  unhappy  men  are 
made  to  disgorge  their  ill  acquired  wealth  in  all  the 
Grandee's  houses  where  they  visit,  and,  generally, 
return  to  their  government  completely  fleeced,  and 
commence  their  impositions  on  the  Moors,  the 
different  tribes  of  Arabs,  the  Jews,  and  every  other 
class  of  beings  whom  Almighty  Providence  has  sub- 
jected to  their  yoke,  with  surprising  alacrity  and 
without  the  least  shadow  of  remorse,  being  stimu- 
lated thereto  by  the  treatment  they  themselves  have 
received  at  Algiers,  and  the  fear  of  being  deficient 
in  the  sum  to  satisfy  the  avarice  of  the  Dey  and 
Grandees  and  inhabitants  of  that  city,  when  the 
period  arrives  for  their  return  with  the  tri-ennial 
tribute. 

On  our  arrival  at  Bagnio  Belique  we  were  intro- 
duced to  Ibram  Rais,  who  acted  as  the  Guardian 
Bashaw,  in  consequence  of  his  age  and  sickness  he 
was  soon  afterwards  confirmed  in  the  post,  the 
superior  guardians  having  died  of  the  plague.  I 
shall  only  take  notice  of  him  in  that  station  where 
he  remained  during  the  rest  of  my  captivity  and 
several  years  afterwards.  He  was  at  this  period 
guardian  of  the  large  pontoon  for  cleaning  out  the 
harbor  and  was  generally  supposed  to  be  the  most 
cruel,  unrelenting  guardian  that  had  ever  been  in 
Algiers.  He  had  lately  returned  from  Malta,  where 
he  had  remained  in  captivity  for  fourteen  years,  and 


48  THE    CAPTIVES. 

having  been  cruelly  treated  himself  on  board  the 
Maltese  Galleys,  he  was  determined  to  retaliate  on 
the  slaves  whom  he  had  under  his  command,  and 
revenge  the  insults  he  had  "received  at  Malta,  upon 
the  innocent  men  who  were  not  even  of  the  same 
nation,  for  at  this  period  he  had  not  even  one 
Maltese  under  his  command  and  there  were  but  two 
of  that  nation  in  the  Regency,  who  were  captured 
under  the  Portuguese  flag  by  the  same  cruise  that  I 
was.  The  reception  that  we  received  from  this  petty 
tyrant  will  both  characterize  the  man  and  deliniate 
the  horrors  of  our  situation.  He  was  sitting  under 
the  gallows  at  the  outer  gate.  In  the  porch  were  a 
double  row  of  guardians  Sbirro  all  armed  with  sticks, 
thick  rope,  and  other  offensive  weapons,  the  guard- 
ians who  were  soldiers  being  also  armed  with 
attagans  (swords)  and  pistols,  and  the  walls  of  the 
porch  were  decorated  with  clubs,  halters,  chains, 
shackles  and  handcuffs,  the  whole  forming  the  most 
dejecting  "Coup  de  Oeil"  that  imagination  can  pos- 
sibly conceive.  "Well,  gentlemen,"  commenced 
Ibram  Rais,  "so  you  were  not  content  with  your 
situation  in  the  palace  and  have  preferred  my  ac- 
quaintance to  the  Hasnadars.  You  are  all  young  and 
healthy  and  too  well  clothed  for  slaves,  you  shall 
have  something  to  divert  you  tomorrow  at  Bebel 
Wey'd,  I  will  show  you  there  how  I  was  treated  at 
Malta.  Here,  Sbirro,  put  stout  rings  on  these  gentle- 
men's legs  and  let  them  be  awakened  and  brought 
to  me  before  daylight  at  the  Marine  gate." 

The  head  clerk  now  interfered  and  informed  him 
that  we  had  committed  no  fault  and  that  the  Hasna- 


POLITICAL    STATE    OF   ALGIERS.  49 

dar  had  ordered  him  to  have  them  sent  to  the 
Marine.  "They  shall  go  to  the  Marine,"  answered  the 
surly  Guardian,  "but  from  thence  I  will  send  them 
where  I  please,  they  don't  know  what  slavery  is  yet; 
it  is  time  they  should  learn;  I  have  not  forgot  the 
treatment  I  received  from  Christians  when  I  was  a 
slave."  I  observed  that  I  was  an  American  and  that 
it  would  be  extremely  hard  for  me  to  suffer  for  the 
injuries  he  had  received  from  the  Maltese,  who  were 
situated  at  the  distance  of  6,000  miles  from  my 
country  and  were  likewise  of  a  different  religion, 
which  taught  them  from  time  immemorial  to  view 
the  Mahometans  with  emnity;  but  that  in  America 
there  probably  had  never  been  a  Mussulman  and 
that  we  never  had  been  at  war  with  any  nation  of 
that  religion.  "True,"  answered  he,  (curling  his 
whiskers),  "but  you  are  Christians  and  if  you  have 
not  injured  Mussulmen  it  was  not  for  the  want  of 
will,  but  for  want  of  power,  if  you  should  chance  to 
take  any  of  our  Cruisers  how  would  you  treat  our 
people?"  "That  will  entirely  depend  on  how  you  treat 
those  of  my  nation  whom  you  have  captured,"  I 
answered,  "and  you  may  be  assured  sir  that  my  nation 
will  retaliate  upon  those  who  treat  their  unfortunate 
citizens  with  undeserved  cruelty."  "Slave!"  answered 
he,  "I  am  not  accustomed  to  listen  to  the  arguments 
of  Infidels;  you  are  too  loquacious  for  a  young  man; 
retire  immediately  and  for  the  future  be  silent  and 
obey."  "I  shall  obey  sir,  but  never  be  silent  while 
there  remains  a  higher  tribunal  to  appeal  to."  My 
fellows  by  this  time  had  all  kissed  this  tyrant's  hand, 
and  we  were  ushered  into  the  prison  yard  and  there 


ni 


50  THE    CAPTIVES. 

left  to  shift  for  ourselves,  having  first  had  a  large  iron 
shackle  bolted  and  riveted  above  our  ancles,  which 
weighed  about  20  ounces.  The  Sbirro  informed  us  that 
we  might  have  it  changed  for  a  small  iron  ring,  by 
paying  a  sequin  each  to  the  Guardian  Bashaw  and  12 
masoons  to  him  for  his  trouble  and  for  the  ring.  I 
felt  too  indignant  to  give  him  any  answer,  and  my 
American  companion  did  not  understand  him.  No 
sooner  had  this  ceremony  ended  than  we  were 
obliged  to  give  in  our  names  to  the  clerk  of  the 
prison,  and  were  ordered  to  hold  ourselves  in  readi- 
ness to  march  to  the  Marine  gate  at  daylight  the 
next  morning;  at  the  same  moment  the  Sbirro  called 
out  in  a  most  tremendous  tone  thrice  distinctly  Capi 
Capar  (e  i)  which  in  the  Turkish  language  means  we 
are  closing  the  gate,  when  immediately  emerged 
from  the  taverns  a  motley  crew  of  Turks,  Moors, 
Arabs,  and  even  some  Jews,  all  intoxicated,  some 
half  naked,  having  sold  or  pawned  their  clothes  to 
the  Christian  tavern  keepers  for  liquor,  others  sing- 
ing or  shouting,  some  with  drawn  swords  swearing 
they  would  kill  the  first  person  that  offended  them 
and  some  few  reeling  peacefully  to  their  habitations 
or,  if  soldiers,  to  the  public  barracks.  The  gates  of 
the  prison  were  then  shut  for  the  night  and  a  heavy 
chain  was  drawn  across  the  inside  of  the  outer  gate 
and  the  inner  one  was  bolted  and  locked;  the  prison 
was  now  under  the  control  of  the  Christian  Corporals 
who  were  all  deserters  from  the  Spanish  garrison  of 
Oran,  where  they  had  been  banished  from  their 
country,  either  for  murder  or  theft,  and  before  their 
appointment  here,  had  in  general  signalized  them^ 


POLITICAL    STATE    OF    ALGIERS.  5 1 

selves  as  the  most  hardened  villains  in  the  Regency. 
As  these  Corporals  have  a  tavern  allowed  them  free 
of  excise  they  generally  mark  such  Christians  as  they 
suppose  to  have  money  or  are  in  the  way  of  earning 
any,  and  if  they  do  not  frequent  their  tavern,  are 
continually  persecuted  by  them,  as  the  prisoners 
at  night  are  entirely  under  their  command  and  an 
unfavorable  report  in  the  morning  from  one  of  those 
miscreants  will  not  fail  to  procure  the  person  com- 
plained of  a  severe  bastinadoing  and  several  weeks 
in  chains  besides.  They  have  power  to  keep  any  per- 
son that  displeases  them  the  whole  night  chained  by 
the  leg  or  the  neck  to  a  stone  pillar,  of  which  there 
are  several  in  each  prison,  and  in  the  day  time  they 
can  persecute  any  of  the  slaves  with  impunity  while 
at  their  labor  and  place  them  at  the  hardest  and 
most  disagreeable  work.  It  is  therefore  at  least 
prudent  to  keep  on  as  good  terms  as  possible  with 
these  petty  despots  and  to  occasionally  bribe  them, 
which  will  not  fail  to  procure  rest  and  frequently  ex- 
emption from  labor  for  several  weeks  successsively. 
They  are  likewise  receivers  of  stolen  goods  and  share 
with  the  Guardians  the  product  of  this  kind  of  com- 
merce, and  not  unfrequently  the  blame  is  thrown  on 
innocent  persons  to  whom  they  owe  some  private 
pique,  while  the  culprit  is  allowed  to  go  unpunished 
and  revel  with  them  on  the  plunder  they  have  taken 
from  some  poor  Jew  or  Christian,  and  frequently 
Turks  and  Moors  share  a  similar  fate;  nevertheless  a 
number  of  those  robbers  are  detected  and  severely 
punished  when  they  have  not  made  their  peace  with 
the  Guardians  through  the  agency  of  the  Corporals. 


52  THE    CAPTIVES. 

It  is  necessary  to  observe  that  these  robberies  are  in 
general  committed  by  deserters  from  Oran  (which 
are  here  called  Carneros  (i.  e.)  sheep)  as  they  come 
into  slavery  like  sheep  to  the  slaughter  and  are  not 
captives  but  voluntary  slaves.  Between  such  classes 
great  distinctions  are  made,  as  none  of  the  former 
were  ever  employed  in  the  palace  or  Grandee's 
houses,  or  were  made  clerks  of  by  the  Regency  until 
very  lately  that  the  latter  became  so  scarce  that  they 
could  not  find  enough  to  do  their  domestic  work.  They 
are  now  more  mixed  than  formerly  and  it  is  worthy 
of  observation  that  few  crimes  are  committed  by 
people  taken  at  sea,  and  when  a  crime  is  committed 
the  mistrust  falls  on  those  people  as  their  iniquities 
have  made  it  a  proverbial  saying  among  the 
Mahometans  that  any  bad  person  has  acted  like  a 
"Carnero  from  Oran"  as  they  believe  them  with 
great  reason  to  be  capable  of  anything.  In  this 
prison  are  kept  all  the  criminals,  and  sometimes 
forty  or  fifty  are  here  chained  two  and  two  together 
for  months,  nay,  some  for  years,  for  different  crimes. 
The  jingling  of  chains  adds  horror  to  this  dismal 
dungeon  beyond  conception,  which  with  the  stench 
and  unnatural  imprecations  and  blasphemy  of  some 
of  its  miserable  inhabitans,  makes  it  really  a  perfect 
pandemonium.  I  will  now  proceed  to  describe  this 
receptacle  of  human  misery. 

The  Bagnio  de  Belique  is  an  oblong  hollow 
square,  140  feet  in  length  and  60  in  breadth,  is  three 
stories  high  and  may  be  about  50  feet  high  to  the 
top  of  the  terrace.  The  whole  of  the  apartments  are 
built  upon  arches  and  have  no  windows   except   a 


POLITICAL   STATE    OF   ALGIERS.  5^ 

small  iron  grating  in  each  of  the  upper  apartments, 
and  receive  the  light  and  air  from  the  doors.  The 
lower  story  has  no  grating  and  is  converted  into 
taverns  which  are  kept  by  the  Christian  slaves  who 
pay  their  rent  and  very  high  duties  for  permission  to 
sell  liquors  and  provisions  in  them.  They  are  per- 
fectly dark  and  in  the  day  are  illuminated  with  lamps, 
and  when  full  of  drunken  Turks,  Moors,  Arabs, 
Christians,  and  now  and  then  a  Jew  or  two,  especially 
on  Fridays,  the  day  the  Christians  are  sometimes 
permitted  to  rest  in  the  prison  from  their  labor, 
forms  the  most  disgusting  "Coup  de  Oeil"  that  can 
be  imagined,  especially  when  you  add  to  the  noise 
an  instrument  called  a  triboocca,  a  tabor  or  quinterra, 
and  a  guitar  and  sometimes  a  fiddle  and  Turkish 
guitar,  and  not  unfrequently  an  Italian  mandolin  and 
Spanish  guitar,  each  singing  or  rather  shouting  in 
different  languages,  without  the  least  connection,  the 
place  filled  with  the  smoke  of  tobacco  which  renders 
objects  nearly  impervious  to  the  view,  some  wran- 
gling with  the  tavern  keepers  for  more  liquor  and 
refusing  to  pay  for  it,  that  upon  the  whole  it  must 
resemble  the  infernal  regions  more  than  any  other 
place  in  the  known  world,  especially,  when  they 
frequently  quarrel  among  themselves  and  proceed  to 
blows  and  even  murder  often  takes  place  in  those 
receptacles  of  vice  and  immortality,  which  generally 
occasions  the  tavern  keeper  to  lose  all  his  property 
as  the  tavern  is  in  the  most  instances  seized  by  the 
Regency  and  the  tavern  keeper  sent  to  hard  labor 
unless  he  bribes  the  Guardian  to  make  a  favorable 
report  of  the  case.       It  is  impossible  for  any  person 


54  THE     CAPTIVES. 

to  conceive  or  even  to  believe  when  related  what 
innumerable  ways  and  with  what  avidity  the  Corporals 
and  Guardians  search  for  occasions  to  plunder  those 
poor  wretches  and  in  general  all  those  that  receive 
money  during  their  captivity  from  friends  or  having 
ingenuity  or  industry  to  earn  it.  In  all  the  prisons 
in  the  evening  may  be  seen  different  tradesmen  at 
work,  among  which  shoemakers,  tailors,  carpenters, 
coopers,  sawyers,  and  some  hucksters  are  those  who 
meet  with  the  most  constant  employment  and  make 
the  most  money.  Before  slaves  became  so  scarce  in 
the  Regency  a  number  of  slaves  of  this  description 
were  permitted  to  remain  in  the  prisons  to  work  by 
paying  the  Regency  one  dollar  per  month  and 
bribing  the  Guardians  and  spending  their  evenings 
at  the  Corporal's  tavern,  but  latterly  few  can  gain 
this  permission  and  none  except  some  Christian 
Consul  or  merchant  becomes  responsible  for  their 
conduct.  Formerly  this  favor  was  obtained  through 
the  influence  of  the  slaves  in  the  palace  or  Grandees' 
houses,  but  so  many  misbehaved  that  at  present  the 
free  Christians  will  not  be  responsible  for  any  only 
those  whom  they  employ  in  their  own  houses,  even 
if  permission  could  be  procured  from  the  Regency. 
The  second  and  third  story  of  this  dungeon  is  sur- 
rounded by  a  small  corridor  or  gallery  from  whence 
are  entrances  into  long,  narrow  rooms  where  the 
slaves  sleep.  They  are  hung  in  square  frames  one 
over  another,  four  tier  deep,  and  they  repose  as  well 
as  mirerable  wretches  can  be  supposed  to  do  who 
are  swarming  with  myriads  of  vermin  of  all  sorts, 
many  nearly  naked  and  few  with  anything  more  than 


POLITICAL    STATE    OF    ALGIERS.  55 

an  old  tattered  blanket  to  cover  them  with  in  the 
depth  of  winter;  for  those  who  have  the  means  of 
subsistence  either  live  in  the  tavern  or  little  boxes 
called  rooms,  built  of  boards  hanging  round  the 
galleries  for  which  they  pay  the  Regency  from 
twelve  to  fifty-four  masoons  per  month,  notwith- 
standing, before  the  Spanish  and  Neapolitan  redemp- 
tions in  1787,  and  the  mortality  by  the  plague, 
numbers  of  those  forlorn  outcasts  were  obliged  to 
lie  in  the  galleries  or  wherever  they  could  find  shelter 
from  the  inclemency  of  the  weather.  In  the  center 
of  the  prison  or  very  near  is  the  well  from  which 
water  is  drawn  from  the  cistern,  which  is  nearly  as 
large  as  the  whole  prison  and  was  formerly  supplied 
from  the  terrace  of  the  prison  with  rain  water,  but  is 
now  partially  supplied  when  necessity  requires  it 
from  the  waterworks  of  the  city  which  shall  be 
described  hereafter.  The  whole  of  the  building  is 
covered  with  a  terrace  which  has  only  two  communi- 
cations with  the  prison.  It  would  be  a  great  recreation 
to  the  slaves,  especially  in  the  summer,  were  they 
permitted  to  walk  or  sleep  there,  but  that  is  strictly 
prohibited;  one  communication  is  through  the  Dey's 
chief  clerk's  apartment  and  the  keys  of  the  other  are 
kept  by  the  head  Corporal,  consequently  none  are 
permitted  to  go  on  the  terrace  but  whom  they  please, 
and  as  they  are  generally  such  different  characters 
the  Corporals  seldom  make  use  of  the  privilege  to 
the  great  satisfaction  of  the  chief  clerks  who  are  by 
no  means  ambitious  for  the  society  of  this  class  of 
men.  The  chief  clerk's  apartments  are  comprised 
of  two  handsome  rooms  and  a  kitchen,  which  with 


56  THE     CAPTIVES. 

the  convenience  of  the  terrace  renders  them  both 
pleasant  and  commodious,  and  as  they  have  four 
large  windows  which  serves  to  ventilate  them  they 
are  exempt  from  the  stench  which  is  insufferable  in 
other  parts  of  the  prison.  As  there  are  two  other 
prisons  I  will  proceed  here  to  describe  them  in  order 
that  the  whole  miserable  scene  may  be  comprehended 
by  the  reader  at  one  view  and  a  comparison  drawn 
between  them.  They  all  have  their  inconveniences 
but  the  Bagnio  Belique  is  the  most  miserable. 

The  Bagnio  de  Gallera  or  the  prison  of  the  galley 
slaves  was  so  called  because  those  who  formerly 
used  to  row  in  the  Algerine  galleys  were  here  con- 
fined and  after  it  was  rebuilt  the  name  was  continued 
because  the  Neapolitans  who  ran  away  with  two 
galleys  of  that  nation  about  the  year  1750  were  the 
first  inhabitants  of  it  when  completed.  It  is  built  on 
the  same  plan  as  the  former  but  is  only  two  stories 
high  and  not  so  long,  the  taverns  are  the  same  and 
so  are  the  long  rooms,  but  on  the  terrace  are  two 
tiers  of  small  rooms,  one  above  the  other,  inhabited 
by  those  who  are  able  to  pay  for  them,  which  is  one 
great  reason  why  the  better  sort  of  slaves  prefer  this 
prison  to  any  of  the  others.  The  greatest  incon- 
venience in  this  prison  is  in  consequence  of  the  lions 
and  tigers  being  kept  there  which  creates  an  insuffer- 
able stench,  which  joined  to  the  common  shore  of 
the  hospital  which  communicates  with  that  of  the 
prison  corrodes  the  atmosphere  that  in  the  summer 
season  it  is  nearly  suffocating.  I  have  known  twenty- 
seven  animals  of  this  description  to  have  been  kept 
at  once  in  this  prison  which  are  maintained  at  the 


POLITICAL   STATE    OF   ALGIERS.  57 

expense  of  the  Christian  tavern  keepers.  They 
frequently  break  loose  and  have  killed  several  of  the 
slaves  as  they  dare  not  destroy  them  even  in  their 
own  defense,  and  if  very  ferocious  an  order  must 
come  from  the  Dey  and  some  of  his  guards  are  then 
dispatched  to  shoot  them  before  the  evil  can  be 
removed.  The  offals  from  their  dens  serve  to 
maintain  an  enormous  number  of  rats,  the  largest  I 
ever  saw,  which  frequently  serve  to  satisfy  the 
craving  appetite  of  some  of  the  poor  slaves.  Cats  are 
likewise  eaten  from  mere  necessity,  and  once  in 
particular  I  asked  a  Frenchman  what  he  was  going 
to  do  with  it  after  skinning,  he  laconically  answered, 
"Ma  foi  it  faut  Manger."  During  the  plague  this 
prison,  in  consequence  of  its  communication  with  the 
hospital,  had  the  greatest  number  of  its  inhabitants 
destroyed  with  that  contagion. 

The  Bagnio  Siddi  Hamouda.  This  is  the  smallest 
Bagnio  of  the  three  and  has  every  misery  common 
with  the  other  two,  but  is  not  regularly  built,  being 
composed  of  three  or  four  old  houses  with  communi- 
cations made  from  one  to  the  other.  It  takes  its 
name  from  its  former  owner.  Thus  have  I  described 
the  three  prisons  in  which  from  two  to  three  thousand 
miserable  wretches  have  been  confined,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  policy  of  those  commercial  nations 
which  make  a  point  not  only  to  suffer  their 
incorrigible  insolence  and  arrogance,  but  likewise  to 
feed  their  avarice  and  forge  pretexts  for  them  to 
commit  depredations  upon  every  nation  which 
endeavors  to  share  the  commerce  of  the  Mediter- 
ranean with  them;  when  by  stopping  the  dishonorable 


58  THE     CAPTIVES. 

tributes  paid  by  them  to  those  Pirates,  redeeming 
their  slaves  and  stationing  two  Frigates  each  in  that 
sea  for  four  or  five  years,  the  Barbary  States  would 
become  as  contemptible  as  the  little  Republic  of 
Lucca,  and  if  we  add  to  this  the  influence  such  a 
coalition  would  have  at  the  Ottoman  Porte  their  total 
annihilation  would  eventually  take  place.  The 
dissensions  which  such  a  measure  would  produce 
among  an  idle  soldiery  would  open  a  prospect  of 
success,  should  the  inhabitants  of  the  city  or  Arabs 
of  the  country  revolt,  and  could  the  Divan  of  the 
Sublime  Porte  be  prevailed  on  to  prohibit  recruits 
from  enlisting  themselves  under  their  banners, 
Algiers  would  be  the  first  to  feel  the  effects  and  with 
her  would  fall  Tunis  and  Tripoli,  which  would 
enevitably  tend  to  a  change  of  government,  which  in 
the  event  would  produce  a  change  of  measures,  and 
the  nations  of  the  world  would  be  liberated  from  the 
excursions  of  those  Pirates  who  have,  from  time 
immemorial,  committed  depredations  on  their  prop- 
erty and  enslaved  their  citizens  and  subjects.  But 
this  union  of  sentiment  is  rather  to  be  wished  for 
than  expected,  for  it  is  an  incontrovertible  fact  that 
no  war  has  been  declared  by  those  marauders  for  the 
last  century  that  has  not  been  instigated  by  some  of 
the  commercial  powers  in  opposition  to  their  rivals 
in  trade,  and  the  failure  of  all  the  Armadas  sent 
against  them  by  Spain  may  be  justly  attributed  to 
the  advice  and  assistance  they  constantly  received 
from  France,  and  especially  through  the  medium  of 
the  Chamber  of  Commerce  at  Marseilles,  which  had 
in  a  great  measure  monopolized  all  the  most  valuable 
branches  of  commerce  in  all  the  Barbary  States. 


POLITICAL   STATE    OF   ALGIERS.  59 

I  now  return  to  my  initiation  into  the  dungeons 
of  Algiers.  While  ruminating  on  the  horrors  of  my 
situation  I  received  an  invitation  from  the  Dey's 
chief  clerk  to  stay  in  his  apartments  until  I  had  time 
to  provide  for  myself  which  I  thankfully  accepted, 
but  could  not  enjoy  his  civilities,  my  imagination 
was  wound  up  to  such  a  degree  that  I  was  nearly 
insane.  I  retired  to  rest  on  his  sofa  but  slept  but 
little  and  awaited  the  approach  of  day  in  anxious 
expectation  of  knowing  my  fate.  About  3  o'clock 
in  the  morning  the  awful  summons  was  given  from 
the  tremendously  cadaverous  lungs  of  the  Sbirro, 
**Arise!  all  those  who  sleep,  the  day  approaches!" 
and  a  short  time  afterwards,  "Depart,  sleepers!  each 
one  to  his  daily  labor."  We  all  marched  out  at  this 
warning  and  proceeded  through  a  narrow  street 
toward  the  gates  of  the  Marine  just  at  the  time  that 
the  gates  of  the  city  were  opened,  and  the  influx  of 
camels,  mules,  asses  and  laborers  was  so  great  that  we 
could  hardly  pass.  The  animals  were  loaded  with 
provisions  for  the  market,  palace  and  Grandees' 
houses,  and  the  slaves,  instigated  by  hunger,  were 
endeavoring  to  steal  as  much  as  they  could  which 
produced  such  a  scene  as  I  have  not  words  to 
describe.  The  Moors  uttering  curses  and  threats  of 
"Which  Christian  dog.  Infidel  dog  without  faith,  I 
will  have  you  bastinadoed  to  death"  were  the  most 
distinguishable  among  this  motley  crew.  We  pro- 
ceeded until  relieved  by  the  turn  of  the  street 
towards  the  mole,  and  then  marched  at  my  ease  to 
the  gate  where  we  were  all  paraded  in  rows,  the 
Guardians  being  in  front,  seated  on  a  brick  seat  made 


6o  THE    CAPTIVES. 

for  the  purpose.  Here  we  waited  about  a  quarter  of 
an  hour  when  the  Vikilharche,  Belique,  Bashaw, 
Captain  of  the  Post  and  other  officers  made  their 
appearance  and  marched  through  the  gate  followed 
by  the  Guardians  and  slaves  who  on  the  Vikilharche's 
first  appearancs  must  stand  uncovered  until  he 
passes  them  some  distance.  The  Dey's  chief  clerk 
took  us  to  the  Guardian  Bashaw  who  presented  us  to 
the  Vikilharche,  who  after  asking  a  number  of  ques- 
tions and  receiving  a  favorable  account  of  us  from 
the  clerk,  we  were  ordered  to  our  respective  destina- 
tions. My  comrade  and  myself  were  sent  to  the 
carpenter's  shop.  I  was  immediately  apprenticed  to 
a  genteel  looking  Spaniard,  a  native  of  Barcelona, 
who  had  been  a  cadet  in  the  Spanish  service,  but  for 
some  irregularity  was  sent  to  serve  in  the  garrison  at 
Oran  from  whence  he  deserted  in  hopes  of  regaining 
his  liberty,  but  was  taken  into  custody  by  the  Arabs 
of  the  western  province  and  sold  to  the  Bey  of 
Mascara,  who  brought  him  with  a  number  of  others 
as  a  part  of  his  tri-ennial  present  to  the  Regency  of 
Algiers,  of  which  a  proper  mention  will  be  made 
when  we  come  to  treat  of  the  Bey's  public  entry,  of 
which  I  was  several  times  a  witness  during  my 
captivity.  This  man  despairing  of  ever  being 
redeemed  by  Spain,  abandoned  by  his  relatives,  had 
applied  himself  to  learn  the  trade  he  was  put  to  on 
his  first  arrival  at  Algiers  so  effectually  that  at 
present  he  was  really  the  best  house  carpenter  in  the 
Regency,  and  consequently  was  employed  on  the 
out-door  business,  such  as  working  in  the  Grandees' 
houses,   and  was   very  much   in   favor.      The  eight 


POLITICAL    STATE    OF    ALGIERS.  6l 

months  I  was  with  him  I  constantly  accompanied 
him  and  as  I  understood  French,  Spanish  and 
Portuguese  tolerably  well  I  had  an  opportunity  to 
get  much  information  and  to  study  the  manners  and 
customs  of  the  people  to  whom  Divine  Providence 
had  made  me  subject.  During  the  period  that  I 
worked  in  the  city  or  for  the  Marine  I  was  well  pro- 
vided with  one  good  meal  a  day,  which  the  Regency 
paid  for  exclusive  of  the  allowance  which  we  had  in 
common  with  the  rest  of  the  slaves,  and  had  our 
duties  been  confined  to  the  duties  of  the  carpenter's 
shop  alone  there  would  have  been  no  reason  to  com- 
plain of  hard  usage,  but  that  was  not  the  case,  for 
whenever  any  hard  loads  were  to  be  carried,  the 
ships  of  friendly  powers  that  brought  presents  to  be 
discharged,  the  ballast,  guns,  and  ammunition  to  be 
taken  out  of  the  Cruisers  or  put  on  board  again, 
which  was  done  every  cruise  be  it  ever  so  short,  then 
the  apprentices  in  all  the  shops  in  the  Marine  were 
taken  out  and  employed  on  that  duty  as  well  as  in 
clearing  out  the  magazines,  fortifications,  and  other 
occasional  jobs,  and  not  unfrequently  they  were  sent 
on  board  the  Pontoons  to  clear  the  harbor  of  mud 
and  stones  and  likewise  to  bring  heavy  stones  from 
the  Ponto  Piscado  to  throw  at  the  back  of  the  mole 
to  prevent  the  sea  from  breaking  over  in  stormy 
weather;  and  at  this  period  a  large  magazine  war 
building  adjoining  the  Vikilharche  garden  at  Bebel 
Wed,  about  one  mile  from  the  city,  large  enough 
to  contain  all  the  gunboats  belonging  to  the  Regency. 
This  magazine  was  built  upon  arches,  and  the  earth 
that  was   dug  out  to   lay   the  foundation  was  after- 


62  THE    CAPTIVES. 

wards  used  to  form  the  terrace.  During  this  work 
frequent  drafts  of  men  were  sent  from  the  Marine 
and  on  Friday,  the  Mahometan  Sabbath,  all  the 
slaves  that  worked  at  the  Marine,  with  the  exception 
of  a  few  favored  work-men,  were  sent  to  this  employ- 
ment which  was  much  worse  than  the  labor  of  the 
whole  week.  Figure  to  yourself  above  a  thousand 
poor  wretches,  many  of  them  half  naked  without  hat 
or  shoes,  at  work  in  the  heat  of  the  sun  all  day  till 
four  and  sometimes  till  five  or  six  o'clock  on  a 
summer  day,  carrying  earth  in  a  basket  to  the  top  of 
a  high  building,  exposed  to  the  heat  and  often 
blistered  with  the  sun,  chafed  and  scalded  with  the 
weight  of  their  load,  the  perspiration  flowing  from 
them;  add  to  this  that  they  only  received  two  small 
loaves  of  black  bread  of  seven  ounces  each  in  all  the 
day  and  a  very  small  portion  of  horse  beans,  prob- 
ably without  any  oil,  as  their  small  allowance  is  given 
out  the  day  before  and  is  generally  either  stolen  or 
made  away  with  in  some  way  or  another  by  the 
people  to  whose  care  it  was  intrusted,  and  on  their 
arrival  at  the  prison  at  night  they  then  receive  a  loaf 
of  the  same  sort  of  bread,  but  weighing  twelve 
ounces  which  is  all  they  ever  receive  on  Friday,  but 
on  working  days  there  is  a  mess  of  burgul  boiled  in  the 
Marine,  mixed  with  a  quantity  of  butter  worse  than 
tallow,  and  as  it  is  taken  out  of  the  jars  by  the  slaves 
without  any  caution  in  order  to  get  as  much  as  it  is 
possible  to  sell  to  the  Moors;  it  frequently  happens 
that  they  find  rats,  mice  and  other  animals  boiled  in 
the  burgul,  which  is  by  no  means  a  pleasant  addition 
to  their  mess;  nevertheless  I  have  seen  many  hundred 


POLITICAL    STATE    OF    ALGIERS.  63 

during  my  captivity  sit  down  to  some  buckets  of 
this  stuff,  substitute  a  chip  for  a  spoon  and  eat  as 
voraciously  as  some  of  our  epicures  would  turtle 
soup,  terrapin  or  venison  pastry.  The  grease  that  is 
used  in  this  mess  js  what  remains  in  the  stores  after 
the  soldiers  are  occasionally  served  from  the  annual 
tribute  which  Tunis  pays  to  this  Regency,  and  of 
course  is  the  worst  part  of  it,  and  some  of  it  has  been 
laying  several  years  with  the  mouth  of  the  jars 
uncovered;  formerly  a  certain  amount  of  this  stuff 
was  served  out,  but  as  no  Christian  ever  eats  it  that 
can  get  anything  else  the  officers  find  it  advantageous 
to  let  the  Christian  cooks  take  what  they  please,  of 
which  a  quantity  is  always  left  which  the  cooks  daily 
distribute  to  the  dogs  and  cats  of  the  Marine,  and 
certain  poor  Arabs  who  attend  for  that  purpose 
always  giving  preference  to  the  former,  so  that  a 
person  whose  stomach  could  bear  such  nauseus  food 
need  not  starve,  but  if  that  was  the  case  with  all  the 
slaves  or  were  the  provisions  of  such  a  quality  that 
they  could  partake  of  it  the  abundance  would  cease 
and  burgul  would  be  as  scarce  as  any  other  provision. 
This  magazine  before  it  was  finished  fell  in  two  or 
three  times  with  the  weight  of  earth  that  was  placed 
on  the  top;  in  every  instance  all  the  people  who 
could  be  spared  from  the  other  works  were  sent  to 
clear  this  earth  away  and  to  assist  in  repairing  the 
work.  No  rest  was  allowed  on  Friday  and  even 
those  slaves  who^paid  by  the  month  were  called  for 
on  those  occasions  with  the  exception  of  two  or 
three  from  each  Consul's  house.  This  place  was 
built  under  the  inspection  of  one  Demetrius,  a  Greek 


64  THE    CAPTIVES. 

master  mason,  and  when  finished  was  found  not  to 
answer  the  purpose  it  was  intended  for  near  as  well 
as  a  common  shed  would  have  done,  for,  exclusive 
of  the  distance  those  heavy  gunboats  had  to  be 
hauled  before  they  were  housed,  the  arches  inter- 
fered with  each  other  in  such  a  manner  and  took  up 
so  much  room  that  the  boats  were  obliged  to  be 
turned  several  times  and  stand  one  on  the  top  of  the 
other,  and  as  this  was  done  by  main  force,  strength 
of  the  slaves,  the  boats  when  put  by  frequently  were 
in  a  worse  condition  than  before  they  were  repaired, 
and  in  case  of  a  sudden  armament  appearing  could 
be  of  no  service  whatever.  Since  that  period  the 
Algerines  have  placed  their  gunboats  close  under 
the  walls  of  the  city  in  a  dry  ditch  where  they  can 
launch  them  in  a  very  short  time  and  I  am  informed 
are  kept  in  readiness  for  actual  service.  It  would 
however  take  them  three  or  four  days  to  mount  the 
artillery  and  make  preparations  in  sufficient  force  to 
annoy  an  enemy  that  might  make  his  appearance  on 
their  coast  or  bay,  and  as  those  boats  have  no  sails 
and  are  quite  open  like  Spanish  launches.  In  a  sea, 
nay,  or  even  in  a  fresh  breeze,  they  could  easily  be 
destroyed,  provided  they  came  from  under  the  forti- 
fications which  in  number  of  guns  are  really  formidable 
so  that  the  gunboats  of  Algiers  may  be  considered 
rather  as  a  defensive  armament  than  calculated  to 
act  on  the  offensives,  but  in  a  calm  would  annoy  an 
enemy  exceedingly  unless  they  were  furnished  with 
small  vessels  with  oars  to  counteract  their  opera- 
tions. As  I  have  commenced  with  a  description  of 
the    Marine   force   of  Algiers   I  will  conclude  this 


POLITICAL    STATE    OF    ALGIERS.  65 

chapter  with  an  account  of  their  actual  Marine  force 
in  1786  and  a  description  of  the  Marine  or  mole  of 
Algiers  with  all  its  fortifications,  moorings,  maga- 
zines, workshops  and  conveniences,  which  shall  in 
some  measure  include  a  description  of  the  site  of 
Algiers. 


CHAPTER  V. 

DESCRIPTION    OF    THE    CITY    OF    ALGIERS. 

The  city  is  built  on  the  side  of  a  steep  hill.  From 
the  Alcasaba  or  highest  part  of  the  city,  were  a  line 
drawn  to  the  island  that  forms  a  part  of  the  mole, 
and  from  which  the  city  took  its  name,  it  would 
make  an  angle  of  about  thirty-five  degrees.  This 
island  is  situated  about  a  furlong  from  the  gate  of 
the  Marine  and  is  joined  to  the  main  by  a  causeway 
of  stone — the  work  of  the  slaves  for  more  than  two 
centuries.  This,  on  the  north  side,  forms  a  barrier  to 
the  sea  and  is  much  higher  than  the  southeast  side 
which  is  next  the  mole  and  is  all  made  land  in  like 
manner  as  the  mole  of  Genoa,  Leghorn,  and 
other  places  in  the  Mediterranean,  where  the  tide 
only  ebbs  and  flows  a  few  feet  at  full  and  change  of 
the  moon,  but  not  near  so  well  finished.  On  this 
lower  road  are  several  arched  magazines  for  timber 
and  other  articles  for  ship  building,  and  near  the 
margin  are  old  cannon  set  in  to  make  fast  the  moor- 
ings of  the  small  Cruisers  that  carry  a  tier  of  guns, 
and  for  the  moorings  of  Christian  merchantmen, 
likewise  the  galliots  or  quarter  Gallies  being  hauled 
on  those  in  the  navy  yard  every  winter.  At  the  end 
of  the  causeway  next  the  island,  the  Kiosk,  where 


DESCKIPIION    OF    THE    CITY    OP^    ALGIERS.  6/ 

the  Admiral  Captain  of  the  Port  and  sea  Captains 
are  seated  daily,  which  may  be  said  to  form  a  court 
of  admiralty  and  formerly  was  without  appeal,  but 
of  late  years  the  Intendant  General  or  Vikilhadge  of 
the  Marine  interferes  in  all  questions  of  any  moment 
and  the  whole  proceedings  are  subject  to  the  control 
of  the  Dey,  as  indeed  everything  else  is  at  present, 
through  his  Ministry,  who  have  usurped  the  whole 
power  of  the  Regency  to  themselves  and  sanction 
their  proceedings  with  the  Dey's  name  who  is  now 
very  old  and  infirm,  and  is  kept  in  ignorance  of 
almost  all  the  domestic  concerns  of  the  Regency, 
each  Minister  governing  in  his  own  department  as 
he  thinks  proper  and  most  to  his  own  interest.  At 
the  other  end  of  the  causeway  are  the  gates  of  the 
Marine  which  are  tolerably  strong  and  situated  at 
right  angles  to  each  other  so  that  cannon  could  not 
burst  open  both  gates  together,  but  must  be  first 
brought  to  bear  on  the  outer  gate  and  then  on  the 
inner.  Between  the  gates  are  seats  for  the  gate 
keeper  and  a  few  old  soldiers  who  sit  there  in  the 
day  time  only,  and  within  the  inner  gate  is  the 
Donanne  or  Custom  House  where  a  Hodge  sits  with 
some  scribes  and  assistants  to  collect  all  the  export 
duties — the  import  duties  on  dry  goods  being  all 
collected  in  the  Dey's  palace  by  one  of  the  four 
Secretaries  of  State.  Over  the  Marine  gate  is  a 
battery  of  several  pieces  of  cannon  and  one  large 
piece  of  artillery  with  seven  cylinders — which  is  more 
for  curiosity  than  use — which  commands  the  cause- 
way, and  at  the  end  opposite  and  close  to  the  Kiosk 
is  a  brass  six-pounder   used   as  an  alarm  gun  when 


68  THE    CAPTIVES. 

anything  extraordinary  happens  in  the  Marine  at 
night,  such  as  any  of  the  Cruisers  breaking  their 
moorings,  etc.,  and  is  fired  at  the  option  of  the 
Captain  of  the  Port  who  always  sleeps  in  the  Marine 
in  bad  weather,  and  in  the  summer  season  only  sleeps 
in  his  own  house  Tuesday  and  Friday  nights.  The 
reason  the  gun  is  fired  is  to  inform  the  Day  that  it  is 
necessary  to  send  the  keys  of  the  Marine  gate  which 
are  kept  in  the  Dey's  palace  from  the  time  it  is  shut 
at  night  until  it  is  opened  in  the  morning,  in  order 
that  the  slaves  may  be  sent  down  from  their  prisons 
to  do  what  the  exigencies  of  the  case  requires.  Next 
the  Kiosk  is  a  small  but  elegant  mosque  built  by 
Cid  Aly  when  Intendant  General  of  the  Marine,  sup- 
ported on  pillars  and  paved  with  marble  from  Genoa, 
and  next  to  it  is  the  coffee  house  for  the  accommo- 
dation of  the  Captains  and  officers  of  the  Cruisers. 
On  the  right  is  the  Light  House  Castle  which  was 
built  by  the  Spaniards  when  they  were  masters  of 
the  island,  but  has  since  had  additions  made  to  it. 
It  mounts  at  present  three  tier  of  guns,  the  largest 
of  which  are  thirty-six  pounders,  but  the  upper  tier 
were  seldom  mounted,  and  it  was  crowned  with  a 
large  lantern  which  was  illuminated  with  oil  and  was 
always  kept  lighted  when  the  Cruisers  were  out,  but 
is  badly  attended  to  at  other  times,  and  when  they 
were  at  war  with  Spain  was  not  lighted  at  all  when 
their  Cruisers  were  in  Port.  Under  this  castle  is  a 
subterraneous  vault  which  was  used  as  a  powder 
magazine,  but  during  my  captivity  the  gunpowder 
was  removed  to  the  Alcasaba,  leaving  only  a  small 
quantity   there  for  present  use.     It   has   likewise    a 


DESCRIPTION    OF    THE    CITY    OF    ALGIERS.  6g 

reservoir  of  excellent  water  and  a  great  quantity  of 
cannon  balls  deposited  therein  of  all  sizes,  thrown  in 
promiscuously,  and  from  thence  are  removed  to 
other  places  of  deposit  and  to  the  different  batteries. 
On  the  point  is  a  new  battery  of  two  tiers  of  guns 
which  were  not  mounted  when  I  left  Algiers,  the 
lowest  of  which  are  but  a  few  feet  above  the  level  of 
the  sea,  and  in  gales  of  wind  from  the  northwest  to 
the  east  point  of  the  compass  this  point  is  hardly 
passable,  and  the  spray  of  the  sea  flies  over  the 
fortifications,  but  in  good  weather  this  battery  from 
its  situation  and  number  of  guns  is  really  formidable. 
The  mosque  communicates  by  a  small  room  to  the 
magazine  by  a  staircase  which  contains  every  article 
necessary  for  immediate  use,  and  the  keys  of  all  the 
magazines  and  repositories  of  stores,  under  the 
inspection  of  the  Intendant  General  of  the  Marine, 
Belique  Bashaw,  or  Regency  storekeeper,  and  the 
Hodge  or  Turkish  secretary,  with  a  Christian  clerk 
called  Clerk  of  the  Marine,  and  from  six  to  eight 
Christian  slaves  who  were  selected  from  those  taken 
at  sea,  of  the  best  characters,  and  until  lately  that 
slaves  became  scarce,  none  from  Oran  were  admitted. 
Before  this  store,  under  an  arch,  was  the  Intendant 
General's  seat,  composed  of  pillows  covered  with 
embroidered  velvet,  placed  in  a  niche  on  which  was 
a  kind  of  bed  composed  of  sheep  skins,  with  a  fine 
red  blanket  and  a  carpet,  and  in  summer  an  upper 
covering  of  silk  which  served  him  both  to  sit  and 
take  a  nap  upon  when  he  pleased;  to  the  left  of 
which  was  a  large  narrow  seat,  covered  less  magnifi- 
cently with  a  carpet,  which  served   for  those  to   sit 


JO  THE    CAPTIVES. 

upon  who  came  to  pay  their  respects  to  the  Vikil- 
harche  or  Intendant,  where  they  are  served  with 
coffee,  and  some  few  favorites  who  smoke  are 
furnished  with  a  lighted  pipe  by  the  coffeegie.  who 
is  the  chief  of  the  slaves  in  that  department,  the 
scrivan  or  clerk  excepted,  who  has  nothing  to  attend 
to  but  his  books.  On  the  right  hand  is  a  large 
square  divan  appropriated  for  the  use  of  the  Belique 
Bashaw  and  Turkish  Hodge,  and  on  one  side  is  a 
small  place  where  some  old  slaves  are  kept  to  make 
plats  and  gaskets  out  of  old  ropes,  and  used  likewise 
for  a  temporary  prison  for  crimes  committed  either 
in  the  prisons  at  night  or  at  the  works  in  the  day 
time,  which,  if  of  great  magnitude,  are  sent  to  the 
prison  in  the  Dey's  palace,  who  passes  sentence  on 
them,  but  petty  offences  are  punished  immediately 
before  the  Vikilharche's  seat.  The  culprit  is  thrown 
down  on  his  face  and  by  a  pole  six  or  eight  feet  long, 
with  two  loops  of  cord,  which  are  put  about  his 
ankles,  his  legs  are  held  up  by  two  men  to  present 
the  soles  of  his  feet,  his  head  and  hands  tied  behind 
are  secured  by  one  of  the  Guardians  who  sits  upon 
his  shoulders,  the  Guardian  Bashaw  and  his 
Myrmidons  are  each  furnished  with  hoop  poles  an 
inch  or  more  in  diameter,  two  of  them  commence  in 
very  regular  time  to  give  him  from  one  to  five 
hundred  blows,  which  are  generally  divided  between 
the  soles  of  his  feet  and  the  posterior.  The  culprit 
is  then  either  put  in  chains,  sent  to  labor,  or  to  the 
hospital  to  be  cured,  according  to  circumstances. 
Behind  the  prison  is  the  basket  makers  shop,  and  in 
a  line  with  it  is  a  large  box  where  the  black  bread 


DESCRIPTION    OF    THE    CITY    OF    ALGIERS.  /I 

for  the  slaves  is  deposited,  who  regularly  parade  in 
the  morning  and  at  meridian  every  day  before  the 
Vikilharche  and  with  profound  submission,  their 
caps  in  their  hands  if  they  have  any,  receive  each 
time  a  small  loaf  and  then  move  off  in  regular  file 
before  their  task  masters,  silent  as  mutes.  At  a 
small  distance  is  the  pitch  house  where  pitch  and  tar 
is  boiled,  and  opposite  the  squiffa  as  the  porch  is 
called,  is  the  landing  place  for  all  boats  of  ships  of 
war  which  frequent  this  city  from  whence  the 
Commodores  pay  first  their  respects  to  the  Vikil- 
harche before  they  proceed  to  town  to  visit  the  Dey 
or  their  respective  Consuls.  If  the  boats  are  not 
sent  out  of  the  mole  immediately  their  masts  are 
ordered  to  be  struck  and  their  oars  are  landed  and 
are  under  the  private  guard  of  some  of  the  officers 
of  the  Marine,  who  keep  a  strict  lookout,  lest  their 
slaves  should. seize  them  and  endeavor  to  make  their 
escape,  notwithstanding,  that  they  are  always  put  in 
half  chains  when  any  of  the  vessels  of  war  of  Great 
Britain  or  France  are  in  the  roads.  These  nations 
invariably  refused  to  deliver  up  any  slaves  who  may 
be  so  fortunate  as  to  take  protection  under  their  flags. 
Other  nations,  and  more  shame  for  them,  have  given 
up  this  point  to  save  a  little  trouble  and  are  dispised 
for  it  even  by  the  Turks  and  Moors  themselves. 

The  Intendant  in  the  morning  makes  a  light  repast 
which  he  receives  generally  from  his  lady's  house,  if 
he  is  a  married  man,  of  which  the  Belique  Bashaw  and 
Turkish  Hodge  generally  partake,  and  between  lO 
and  II  o'clock  six  covered  dishes  made  of  copper, 
well  tinned  both  within  and  without,  made  to  fit  over 


72  THE     CAPTIVES. 

each  other,  filled  with  roast  and  boiled  mutton, 
fowls,  etc.,  with  a  large  dish  of  pillaw  or  cuscussoo 
generally  cooked  with  fowls  cut  up  in  pieces,  a  large 
copper  basin  of  sherbet  and  another  of  leben  are 
regularly  brought  from  the  Dey's  palace,  and  as 
much  more  from  his  own  house,  to  which  is  generally 
added  some  choice  fish,  brought  by  the  fishermen  as 
presents,  but  always  paid  for  most  liberally  by  the 
Vikilharche,  and  which  is  cooked  by  the  slaves  in 
the  squiffa,  which,  with  the  addition  of  excellent 
bread  composes  the  daily  dinner,  to  which  are 
invited  the  Admiral,  Captain  of  the  Port,  and  any 
favorite  Rais  or  acquaintance  who  may  be  at  hand, 
and  if  they  happen  to  be  more  than  five  or  six  the 
Hodge  is  obliged  to  surrender  his  seat  to  the  stranger 
and  eats  after  they  have  done,  v/ith  the  Christian 
clerk,  the  Moorish  secretaries,  the  chief  of  the 
Pisqueras,  and  some  of  the  master  mechanics  who 
generally  find  some  pretense  to  come  about  that 
hour,  although  none  are  regularly  invited  but  the 
master  ship  builder  and  master  sail  maker,  but  this 
depends  entirely  on  the  will  of  the  Intendant  for  the 
time  being,  after  all  the  Christians  of  the  squiffa  go 
to  dinner  and  they  generally  fare  well,  seldom 
neglecting  to  save  some  of  the  nicest  articles  for 
themselves,  and  it  seldom  happens  but  that  there  is 
more  than  they  can  eat  which  is  given  by  them  to 
their  friends.  I  had  forgotten  to  mention  that  the 
fruits  of  the  season  are  sent  from  the  palace  and 
Intendant's  house  and  are  eaten  as  with  us  as  a 
desert. 


DESCRIPTION    OF    THE    CITY    OF    ALGIERS.  73 

I  shall  here  describe  the  manner  of  serving 
dinner  to  the  Vikilhadge,  as  the  only  difference  that 
occurs  in  the  houses  of  all  ranks  is  that  in  their 
rooms  the  better  sort  do  not  use  pine  tables,  but  a 
handsome  octagon  stand,  made  of  some  fine  wood, 
inlaid  with  mother  of  pearl  and  tortoise  shell,  about 
eighteen  inches  high,  on  which  is  placed  the  sofra, 
which  is  a  large  round  copper  waiter,  well  tinned,  on 
which  the  provisions  are  placed,  and  in  lieu  of  sitting 
on  fine  stools  they  sit  on  the  carpet  cross-legged  if 
of  equal  rank;  but  those  who  eat  with  the  Dey  are 
obliged  to  kneel  and  sit  back  on  their  legs,  and  in 
this  disagreeable  position  eat  their  meals.  The 
same  rule  is  observed  in  other  houses  where  the 
rank  is  different,  except  the  masters  of  the  house 
invite  them  to  sit  at  their  ease.  Bread  is  cut  in 
slices  and  placed  before  each  person  with  a  spoon 
as  the  meat  is  all  cut  up  small,  and  when  fowls  or 
other  poultry  are  brought  whole  they  are  so  much 
cooked  that  they  are  easily  pulled  to  pieces,  there- 
fore knives  and  forks  are  not  used.  The  table  is 
covered  with  a  narrow  piece  of  muslin  somtimes 
worked  or  embroidered  at  the  ends  and  is  several 
yards  long,  which  is  coiled  round  on  the  table  so  as 
not  to  touch  the  ground.  Everything  thus  prepared, 
the  company  is  sent  for  who  wash  inside  the 
magazine.  The  table  as  before  prepared  and  stools 
are  taken  and  placed  in  the  porch,  a  curtain  is 
drawn  across,  the  company  seat  themselves,  place 
the  table  cloth  on  their  knees,  and  the  Chief  Chris- 
tian with  a  clean  napkin  on  his  shoulder,  places  the 
dishes  one  at   a  time  before  the  guests  who   wait 


74  THE    CAPTIVES.  - 

until  the  inviter  commences,  and  then  each  one 
serves  himself  with  spoon  or  fingers,  according  to 
what  is  before  them,  shorba  or  soup  leads  the  van 
and  caboot  or  roast  brings  up  the  rear;  fish,  when 
there  is  any,  is  then  served,  and  cuscussoo  or  pillaw, 
which  is  always  a  standing  dish,  is  the  last  put  on 
the  table,  which  is  cleared  and  the  fruit  is  then  put 
on.  •  Sherbet  is  sometimes  handed  round  afterwards, 
but  most  commonly  is  supped  with  large  spoons 
made  of  tortoise  shell  with  ivory  handles  tipped  with 
coral  or  amber,  which  are  used  for  no  other  purpose. 
The  smaller  spoons  are  generally  made  of  the  same 
materials  or  some  fine  hard  wood,  and  are  enriched 
and  ornamented  according  to  the  wealth  of  the 
owner.  They  are  brought  from  the  Levant  for 
presents  as  an  article  of  trade.  When  the  principal 
drinks  or  finishes  his  meat  the  company  wishes  him 
health,  as  we  say,  "much  good  may  it  do  you,"  and 
he  gives  thanks  to  God  in  three  words,  rises  from  his 
seat  followed  by  his  company  who  retire  to  wash  as 
before.  The  table  is  taken  away,  the  curtain  drawn, 
the  crumbs  swept  away  and  everything  restored  to 
the  same  order  as  before  dinner.  The  Vikilhage  takes 
his  seat,  the  company  return,  are  served  with  coffee 
and  sometimes  with  a  pipe  when  the  superior  smokes 
himself,  but  not  otherwise.  They  then  rise  accord- 
ing to  rank,  kiss  the  Vikilhage's  hand  and  retire,  and 
thus  ends  the  repast  and  ceremony. 

I  have  been  more  particular  in  this  detail  as  there 
is  no  difference  in  their  manners  if  we  except  the 
very  lower  classes  of  the  Moors,  who  we  frequently 
see   sitting  in  the  streets,   eating  cuscussoo  out  of 


DESCRIPTION    OF    THE    CITY    OF   ALGIERS.  75 

a  wooden  bowl  by  handsful,  without  any  spoon 
whatever,  and  are  a  most  filthy  set  of  beings; 
but  the  inhabitants  of  the  city,  the  Jews  excepted, 
are  as  cleanly  a  race  of  beings  as  any  in 
the  world  and  none  are  more  abstemious,  this 
however  is  from  economy  and  not  principle, 
for  when  they  are  invited  by  their  superiors 
they  generally  eat  most  voraciously,  what  we  would 
imagine  to  be  an  enormous  quantity.  This  they 
sometimes  endeavor  to  excuse  by  saying  they  eat 
more  than  they  would  in  compliment  to  their  host, 
who,  they  say,  would  not  have  invited  them  if  they 
were  not  perfectly  agreeable  to  him.  To  proceed,  to 
the  right  of  the  squiffa  are  the  workshops  for 
coopers,  carpenters,  ship  builders,  pail  makers  and 
blacksmiths,  in  which  last  place  alone  are  employed 
upwards  of  sixty  Christian  slaves,  and  I  have  seen 
merchants,  doctors,  priests,  and  play  actors,  with  a 
number  of  other  characters  blowing  the  bellows 
there  together  and  bewailing  their  misfortunes  in 
concert. 

From  this  to  the  point  of  the  mole  are  three 
castles,  first  the  Castle  of  Sardinia,  the  Castle 
of  the  Cordelieros,  so  called  because  it  is  converted 
into  a  rope  walk,  and  the  Castle  of  the  Point,  so 
called  from  its  situation.  These  fortifications  form  a 
continued  chain  of  two  tier  of  heavy  pieces  of 
artillery,  mostly  all  of  brass,  some  of  which  are  as 
handsome  as  any  in  the  world,  and  as  these  castles 
are  in  a  semi-circle,  the  whole  Marine  from  the  Kiosk 
to  the  point  may  be  considered  as  one  continued 
fortification,  which,  if  kept  in  good  order,  is  very 


76  THE    CAPTIVES. 

capable  of  repelling  a  considerable  force  by  sea,  but 
as  none  of  these  castles  are  assisted  by  mines  or 
advanced  works,  the  soldiers  destined  to  defend 
them  cannot  be  kept,  and  their  whole  defense  must 
consist  in  discharging  their  cannon  and  musketry 
from  the  walls;  and  as  their  cannoniers  or  artillery- 
men have  neither  science  nor  practice,  and  their 
soldiery  consists  of  Turks,  Kuloglus  and  Moors, 
without  any  discipline  whatever,  their  officers  being 
as  ignorant  of  military  tactics  as  themselves,  accus- 
tomed to  have  all  their  labor  done  by  Christian 
slaves  who  in  time  of  invasion  would  be  sent  into  the 
country  at  a  distance  from  the  city,  those  troops 
would  be  entire  strangers  in  the  works  they  had  to 
defend  and  hardly  able  to  mount  a  cannon  if  dis- 
mounted by  the  enemy,  even  were  they  a  more 
active  and  intelligent  race  than  they  are,  which, 
joined  to  most  of  the  fortifications  being  built  of  a 
brittle  sort  of  stone,  the  splinters  of  which  would  do 
as  much  execution  amongst  them  as  the  balls  of  the 
enemy,  induces  me  to  believe  that  although 
the  terraces  of  the  castle  are  said  to  be  bomb  proof, 
that  according  to  the  present  mode  of  warfare  a  few 
resolute  battalions  covered  by  a  squadron  of  ships  of 
war  would  soon  be  able  to  reduce  the  whole  Marine 
fortifications  of  Algiers,  which  might  soon  be 
followed  by  the  entire  destruction  of  the  city  if  the 
government  thereof  did  not  think  proper  to  capitu- 
late. 

At  the  north  angle  of  the  Marine  is  a  large 
cannon  mounted  on  a  carriage  and  placed  opposite 
to   an   arch  which   serves  as  an  incumbrance.     This 


DESCRIPTION    OF    THE    CITY    OF    ALGIERS.  'J'] 

gun  was  brought  from  Constantinople,  is  twenty-two 
inches  in  diameter,  about  twenty-one  feet  long,  and 
is  hooped  with  iron.  It  is  intended  to  throw  marble 
balls,  but  is  now  never  used.  Tradition  says  "that 
once  a  French  Consul  was  fired  off  towards  the 
French  fleet  who  were  bombarding  the  city,"  but  the 
account  in  my  opinion  needs  confirmation.  At 
about  half  a  furlong  to  the  W.  S.  W.  of  the  mole  is 
the  fisher's  gate  or  "Al  Bebal,  the  gate  of  the  sea." 
This  gate  is  defended  by  a  double  tier  of  cannon 
which  likewise  commands  the  entrance  of  the  mole 
and  the  road  before  it.  Within  the  gate  fishing 
boats,  gun  boats  and  sometimes  small  galiots  or 
quarter  gallies  are  built  by  private  individuals.  The 
gun  boats  are  for  government.  In  the  Marine, 
which  is  an  oblong  figure,  are  ways  for  a  Frigate,  a 
Brig  of  War,  a  Galiot  and  fourteen  gun  boats,  which 
is  the  greatest  number  of  vessels  I  ever  saw  building 
or  repairing  together,  and  there  was  not  room  for 
putting  up  anymore.  But  notwithstanding  there  are 
great  quantities  of  naval  stores  in  the  Marine,  there 
is  by  no  means  as  great  a  quantity  as  is  generally 
imagined  fit  for  use,  great  quantities  being  spoiled 
by  the  dampness  of  the  stores  exclusive  of  what  is 
stolen  by  the  slaves  and  sold  in  the  town  to  merchant 
vessels  in  the  harbor.  I  have  known  whole  cables 
of  a  large  dimension  disposed  of  in  this  manner  in 
the  middle  of  daylight,  and  as  this  could  not  be  done 
without  the  connivance  of  some  of  the  Guardians 
and  storekeepers  it  is  not  uncharitable  to  suppose 
that  they  shared  in  the  plunder.  Pieces  of  sail, 
duck,  planks,  boards,  baskets  of  nails  and  iron  work, 


yS  THE    CAPTIVES. 

whole  jars  of  oil,  and  even  barrels  of  gunpowder 
have  been  embezzled  in  this  manner  and  passed 
through  the  Port  of  the  Marine  on  pretense  that  it 
was  for  the  service  of  the  Regency  either  within  or 
without  the  city,  and  in  this  manner  the  slaves  in 
general  indemnify  themselves  for  the  loss  of  their 
liberty  and  the  Turkish  Guardians  furnish  them- 
selves with  the  means  to  procure  silver  mounted 
arms  and  fine  clothes.  The  mole  is  about  two 
hundred  fathoms  long  and  one  hundred  broad.  The 
depth  of  the  mouth  is  about  seven  fathoms  and 
gradually  decreases.  There  are  two  Pontoons  which 
are  likewise  used  for  heaving  the  vessels  down  by 
constantly  being  employed  in  cleaning  the  harbor  of 
mud  and  large  stones.  This  is  done  entirely  by 
slaves  and  is  esteemed  very  laborious  and  disagree- 
able work.  Those  Pontoons  are  also  sent  to  the 
Punto  Piscardo  frequently  and  generally  on  Friday 
(when  the  slaves  ought  to  be  allowed  to  rest  in  the 
Bagnios)  to  load  large  stones,  some  of  which  are 
several  tons  in  weight,  in  order  to  throw  them  on  the 
back  of  the  mole  to  prevent  the  sea  from  breaking 
over  in  bad  weather  and  is  most  laborious  work. 

As  I  intend  giving  some  idea  of  the  Marine  force 
of  Algiers  for  some  years,  it  will  be  better  compre- 
hended by  giving  an  account  of  their  outfits  and  their 
manner  of  proceeding  when  they  go  out  and  when 
they  return  from  a  cruise.  The  Cruisers  when  in  the 
mole  are  all  dismantled,  every  article  even  the 
ballast,  which  is  small  stones  and  sand,  is  on  shore 
distributed  in  their  respective  stores  each  Cruiser 
having  one  appropriated  for  its  use,  so  that  on  board 


DESCRIPTION    OF    THE    CITY    OF    ALGIERS.  79 

the  Cruiser  nothing  remains  but  the  yards  and  top 
masts  and  standing  rigging.  They  are  moored  head 
and  stern  a  few  feet  on  under  the  stern  fasts  of  the 
large  Cruisers,  being  fast  on  a  large  island  near  the 
mouth  of  the  mole  where  a  pitch  house  and  stores 
likewise  are  built  but  not  often  used.  Merchant 
vessels  of  all  nations  are  moored  also  in  a  tier  in  the 
same  manner  farther  into  the  mole  where  the  water 
is  shoalest,  and  several  times  Frigates  have  been 
moored  at  the  mouth  of  the  harbor  as  well  as  large 
store  ships  which  have  brought  tribute  from  different 
nations.  The  mouth  of  the  harbor  is  constantly 
guarded  by  two  large  row  boats  which  have  a  com- 
pliment of  twenty-one  men  each,  but  seldom  have 
so  many  on  board.  These  boats  are  for  the  express 
purpose  of  preventing  slaves  from  attempting  to  run 
away  with  boats  either  belonging  to  the  mole  or 
Cruisers;  the  fishing  boats  never  being  allowed  to 
enter  the  mole  for  the  same  reason.  These  boats 
must  consequently  first  be  overpowered  by  the  boats 
of  any  squadron  that  would  attempt  to  destroy  the 
Cruisers  in  the  night  by  fire  ships  or  otherwise,  but 
as  they  are  lulled  into  security  by  no  attempt  of  that 
kind  ever  having  been  made  upon  them,  I  imagine 
they  would  not  be  very  alert,  and  if  they  were  they 
would  not  make  any  great  resistance  if  boarded  by 
any  of  our  brave  tars.  When  the  Dey  gives  orders 
to  fit  the  Cruisers  out  there  is  an  embargo  laid  on 
the  merchant  vessels  in  Port  and  the  slaves  are  keot 
until  dark;  each  Cruiser  has  a  boatman  or  rather 
rigger  who  has  three  or  more  sailors  under  his  com- 
mand to  repair  the  rigging  while  the  vessels  are  laid 


80  THE     CAPTIVES. 

up.  They  are  all  hove  down,  their  bottoms  caulked 
and  paid  every  cruise  be  it  ever  so  short,  and  the 
Marabouts  or  holy  men  pronounce  a  benediction  and 
pray  for  their  success  against  the  enemies  of  the  true 
Mussulman  faith.  This  ceremony  is  indispensible  as 
the  Moorish  sailors  would  not  go  to  sea  in  them  if 
this  was  omitted.  The  guns,  ballast,  ammunition 
and  every  article  necessary  is  then  put  on  board  by 
the  slaves.  The  provisions  which  consist  of  biscuit, 
oil,  vinegar  and  olives,  some  bad  butter,  mumsa  and 
burgul  sufficient  to  furnish  one  hot  meal  every 
seventh  day  for  the  crew,  is  all  that  is  allowed  by  the 
Regency  and  of  that  only  full  allowance  for  forty 
days  is  ever  put  on  board.  Those  who  wish  to  fare 
better  provide  for  themselves — thus  all  the  quarter 
deck  and  stern  is  strewn  with  jars  and  baskets  of  one 
sort  of  provision  or  another,  and  the  vessel  is 
lumbered  in  the  same  manner  in  every  part  for  the 
first  few  days  after  her  departure  on  a  cruise.  The 
water  casks  being  stowed  away  empty  are  now  filled 
with  water  in  bulk,  taken  along  side  from  the  water- 
ing place  in  the  Marine  (which  is  a  very  good  one) 
by  the  slaves,  who  as  they  do  not  have  to  make  use 
of  it  themselves  are  not  very  particular  as  to  cleanli- 
ness. This  accounts  for  it  corrupting  in  a  few  days. 
Lastly  the  sails  are  bent  by  the  slaves,  the  Algerine 
colors  are  hoisted  with  the  flags  of  the  Grand 
Signore  and  principal  Maraboots,  the  flags  of  nations 
with  whom  they  are  at  war,  especially  the  nation 
against  whom  the  cruise  is  particularly  intended,  are 
hoisted  on  the  jib  stay,  reversed  in  token  of  derision, 
and  guns  are  then  frequently  fired  to  announce  their 


DESCRIPTION    OF    THE    CITY    OF    ALGIERS.  8l 

being  ready  to  sail  and  to  assemble  the  crew.  The 
Tayfe  or  government  are  mostly  all  Turks  and  are 
soldiers  including  the  officers  who  are  composed  of 
Turks,  Moors  and  Kuloglos  seldom  amount  to  one- 
third  of  the  crew.  These  furnish  themselves  with 
arms  at  their  own  expense  and  consists  of  attagans, 
muskets  and  pistols,  and  some  of  the  officers  have 
short  blunderbusses  which  they  have  either  taken  in 
prizes  or  plundered  from  vessels  of  Christian  nations 
with  whom  they  are  at  peace.  These  are  governed 
by  an  Aga,  Chaonx  Hodga  and  s-ubaltern  officers  who 
are  appointed  by  the  Dey  by  the  recomendation  of 
the  Grandees,  who  with  the  Rais  and  officers  of  the 
Cruisers  form  a  council  who  during  the  cruise  have 
power  of  life  and  death,  but  they  seldom  assert  their 
authority  farther  than  bastinadoing  or  imprisonment 
for  fear  of  the  consequences  upon  their  return  to 
Port.  Those  of  the  crew  who  may  be  called  seamen 
are  composed  of  those  who  have  been  more  or  less 
cruisers  at  sea,  and  while  the  Cruisers  are  in  Port 
exercise  different  occupations  as  tailors,  shoemakers, 
barbers,  etc.  The  remainder  of  the  crew  is  made  up 
of  inferior  Moors  and  country  Arabs,  which  when  all 
the  Cruisers  are  fitted  out  at  once  are  sent  on  board 
by  force  and  driven  down  to  the  mole  by  the  hang- 
man and  his  deputies  like  a  flock  of  sheep,  and  have 
nothing  with  them  but  what  they  have  on.  When 
the  Cruisers  are  full  of  men  an  officer  sits  with  a 
wooden  bowl  full  of  beans  and  another  with  an 
empty  one,  the  crew  are  then  all  ordered  to  take  a 
bean  out  of  the  full  bowl  and  pass  around  the  main 
mast  and  put  it  into  the  empty  one,  which   are  then 


82  THE    CAPTIVES.       ' 

counted  and  the  number  of  the  crew  ascertained, 
which  if  it  surpasses  the  complement,  which  in  the 
large  Cruisers  is  five  hundred,  the  infirm  and  oldest 
are  picked  out  and  sent  on  shore.  The  Cruisers  are 
then  unmoored  by  the  slaves  and  Captain  of  the  Port 
and  his  mates,  with  the  assistance  of  the  slaves,  con- 
ducts them  clear  of  the  mole  head  and  they  make 
sail  out  of  the  bay,  and  as  they  pass  the  Maraboot 
salute  him  with  several  guns  and  then  proceed  to 
sea.  The  Christian  slaves  then  haul  up  the  moorings 
and  repair  them  against  the  Cruisers  return.  On  the 
Cruisers  return  after  a  fortunate  cruise,  from  the  time 
of  their  appearance  in  sight  of  the  city  they  discharge 
cannon,  and  have  a  number  of  flags  and  pendants  flying 
with  the  colors  of  the  prizes  they  have  taken  flying 
forward  reversed.  The  Captain  of  the  Port  and  his 
mates  and  the  slaves  assist  to  bring  the  vessels  into 
the  mole,  and  to  moor  them  as  they  were  before  they 
sailed.  Demonstrations  of  joy  ensue  according  to 
the  number  of  slaves  they  have  made  and  the  value 
of  the  prizes.  When  they  are  unfortunate  no  guns 
are  fired,  no  shouts  of  joy  are  heard,  everyone  seems 
dejected,  and  the  Captains  are  frequently  degraded 
and  even  bastinadoed,  imprisoned  or  dismissed, 
especially  if  the  Tayfe  complains  of  their  conduct  or 
they  have  not  implicitly  obeyed  their  orders,  which 
are  generally  given  by  the  Dey  in  consequence  of 
intelligence  communicated  to  him  by  the  Jews,  who 
are  regularly  informed  of  all  the  nations  at  war  with 
the  Barbary  States,  who  load  at  the  several  Ports  in* 
Italy,  Marseilles  and  many  other  Ports  in  the 
Mediterranean.     When  there  are  slaves  on  board  the 


DESCRIPTION    OF    THE    CITY    OF    ALGIERS.  83 

Dey's  and  Regency's  chief  Christian  clerk  goes  on 
board,  immediately  take  charge  of  them  and  conduct 
them  first  to  the  Vikilhadge's  seat  in  the  Marine  and 
from  thence  to  the  palace  and  makes  his  report  to 
the  Dey.  The  slaves  are  permitted  to  remain  in  the 
palace  all  night,  and  the  next  morning  early  are  taken 
before  the  Dey's  seat  by  the  head  clerk  again,  who 
selects  those  he  thinks  proper  for  the  palace,  and  the 
others  are  conducted  to  the  Bagnio  Belique  and 
their  names,  nation,  and  particulars  of  their  capture 
entered  into  the  books  of  the  Regency  kept  in  the 
head  clerk's  office,  who  is  the  chief  of  the  slave 
department.  He  then  delivers  them  over  to  the 
Guardian  Bashaw,  who  the  next  day  sends  them  to 
labor  after  being  once  more  paraded  by  the  head 
clerk  before  the  Intendant  General  or  Vikilhadge  of 
the  Marine.  While  the  slaves  are  mooring  the 
Cruisers  the  Christian  Captains,  Mates,  Supercargoes 
and  all  the  slaves  who  work  in  the  slave  loft,  are  sent 
on  board  to  unbend  the  sails.  All  the  crew,  the 
Stewards  excepted,  leave  the  vessel  immediately  and 
take  with  them  whatever  belongs  to  them,  and  the 
slaves  proceed  to  dismantle  them  and  to  lay  them 
up  as  before  they  were  fitted  for  the  cruise  be  it  ever 
so  short.  Although  the  crews  of  the  Cruisers  are 
very  numerous  not  more  than  half  of  them  are  armed 
and  are  composed  of  the  same  material  as  before 
described,  who  never  see  the  vessel  from  the  day 
they  arrive  to  the  day  they  sail  and  not  always  going 
in  the  same  Cruiser,  it  is  to  be  imagined  they  are  not 
the  most  formidable,  and  for  the  first  day  of  the 
cruise  must  be  in  great  disorder.      They  are  sensible 


84  THE     CAPTIVES. 

that  the  vessels  of  Christian  nations  are  far  superior 
to  them  in  working  their  guns,  and  for  that  reason 
after  their  first  fire  they  attempt  to  board,  and 
although  but  indifferent  sailors  and  worse  gunners, 
nevertheless  active,  daring  and  intrepid,  believing  no 
nation  able  to  withstand  their  impetuosity  and  seem 
sure  of  victory  if  they  can  lay  you  on  board,  for  that 
reason  boarding  ought  to  be  guarded  against  and  as 
an  enemy  they  ought  not  to  be  undervalued. 

Having  described  the  fortifications  of  the  mole 
or  Marine  of  Algiers  I  will  continue  to  give  a  partic- 
ular description  of  all  the  fortifications  around  the 
city  beginning  at  Al  Casanbah,  the  ancient  palace  of 
the  Moorish  kings,  which  is  built  on  the  highest  part 
of  the  city  and  forms  the  western  angle  of  it,  being 
of  an  octangular  form  and  contains  several  apart- 
ments, the  largest  of  which  is  now  converted  into  a 
magazine  for  gunpowder.  It  is  reported  by  all  the 
Moors  that  when  their  last  king,  Entemi,  was 
murdered  by  Horac  Barbarossa,  A.  D.,  1516,  that  all 
the  money  that  was  then  found  is  still  kept  there,  be 
that  much,  little  or  none,  which  is  most  probable. 
An  Aga  and  guards  sit  there  before  the  gate  in 
imitation  of  the  Dey's  guards  at  the  palace,  and 
peacocks  and  peahens  are  kept  there  and  every 
external  respect  is  paid  to  the  place  as  if  it  really 
continued  to  be  a  royal  residence.  This  is  done  in 
compliment  to  the  Moors  of  this  Regency,  who  are 
still  attached  to  the  families  of  their  ancient 
Monarchs  and  would  willingly  throw  off  the  Turkish 
yoke  if  they  had  an  opportunity  offered  them  which 
promised  success.     The  angles  of  the  Casanbah  have 


DESCRIPTION    OF    THE    CITY    OF    ALGIERS.  85 

regular  embrasures  and  have  several  pieces  of  cannon 
mounted  for  its  defense.  There  are  five  gates  in  this 
city,  the  Marine  and  Fisher's  gate  already  described, 
the  North  gate  or  Bebal  Wed  together  with  the 
North  angle  of  the  city  and  the  South  gate  or 
Bebazoon  with  that  angle  of  the  city.  Each  gate  is 
defended  with  a  Bastion  and  have  several  pieces  of 
cannon  mounted  on  them  and  in  several  places  are 
pathways.  Bebal  Jedect  or  the  new  gate  has  a 
square,  upright  battery  and  between  the  palace  and 
the  Fort  of  Al  Casanbah,  both  towards  Bebazoon 
and  Bebal  Wed,  are  several  embrazures  and  some 
cannon  mounted  on  them  and  in  several  places  are 
pathways  with  parapets  and  loop  holes  for  small 
arms  in  case  of  invasion,  but  little  out  of  repair. 
The  ditch  which  formerly  surrounded  the  city,  except 
a  small  space  at  the  North  and  South  gates  which  in 
time  of  an  assault  would  be  very  little  service,  is 
entirely  filled  up  with  rubbish  from  the  Al  Casanbah 
to  the  gates  of  the  Bebazoon  and  Bebal  Wed,  is  near 
half  a  mile  on  a  descent  of  twenty  or  thirty  degrees 
and  is  commanded  by  the  guns  from  the  Emperor's 
Castle. 

The  environs  of  Algiers  to  the  southward  and 
eastward  I  cannot  better  describe  than  by  the  follow- 
ing extract  from  my  journal: 

"A  party  of  slaves  having  been  ordered  to  be 
ready  by  two  hours  before  day  to  proceed  several 
miles  to  cut  rushes  for  the  use  of  the  coopers,  I 
asked  leave  to  accompany  them,  and  at  the  appointed 
hour  passed  through  the  gate  of  Bebazoon  all 
mounted  on   mules,  and   passed  several  tupanas  or 


86  THE     CAPTIVES. 

batteries  which  were  planted  round  the  head  of  the 
bay  until  we  came  to  the  river  LaHaratch,  which  we 
crossed  at  about  four  miles  from  the  city  by  means 
of  a  stone  bridge,  which  had  been  well  built  but  was 
in  a  ruined  condition,  and  on  a  white  marble  stone 
was  engraved  an  inscription  in  the  Turkish  language 
which  none  of  the  company  could  read.  From 
thence  we  passed  through  a  small  swamp  and  pro- 
ceeded on  a  tolerable  good  road  in  a  direct  line  with 
Mount  Atlas,  and  crossed  the  river  again  towards  the 
south,  then  traveled  about  two  leagues  farther  when 
we  arrived  at  the  marsh  where  the  flags  grew,  which 
from  the  excessive  heat  of  the  sun  was  almost  dry. 
We  there  refreshed  and  while  the  people  were 
cutting  the  rushes  and  loading  the  mules  I  took  a 
ride  for  about  two  hours  into  the  country  and  saw 
several  of  the  cabails  or  mountaineers,  who  seemed 
to  be  an  inoffensive  race  of  beings  and  such  as  we 
would  suppose  the  first  cultivators  of  the  earth  were. 
I  proceeded  until  the  river  ran  nearly  south  and 
Cape  Temendefust,  the  northeastern  Cape  of  the 
Bay  of  Algiers  bore  northwest,  the  roads  here 
divided,  the  one  leading  towards  Constantine  and 
the  other  to  Media.  I  here  saw  a  family  of  Arabs 
washing  at  a  spring  of  fresh  water.  They  presented 
me  with  some  prickly  pears  and  some  unripe 
pomegranates,  for  which  I  satisfied  them  with  six 
masoons,  equal  to  fifteen  cents,  with  which  they 
seemed  perfectly  content.  The  eldest  of  the  children 
was  a  girl  of  about  twelve  years  of  age  who  held  my 
mule  while  I  alighted.  She  had  a  pleasing  counte- 
nance and  was  tolerably  fair.     They  were  all  dressed 


DESCRIPTION    OF    THE    CITY    OF    ALGIERS.  87 

in  woolen  garments  or  blankets  called  Hayke, 
fastened  over  the  shoulder  with  a  skewer  and  thrown 
loosely  around  the  body,  tied  round  the  middle  with 
a  piece  of  the  same  manufacture.  The  country 
except  in  their  gardens  and  plantations,  which  were 
all  walled  in,  resembling  the  first  settlements  in 
America,  and  which  produced  all  the  fruits  of 
Barbary  in  abundance,  was  entirely  uncultivated,  but 
had  a  few  scattering  wild  fig,  date  and  pomegranate 
trees  growing,  and  great  quantities  of  wild  mint,  sage 
and  some  coriander,  which  grew  spontaneously.  I 
returned  to  the  marsh  by  the  same  way  we  came. 
I  found  the  people  who  had  been  in  the  swamp 
bleeding  in  consequence  of  the  leeches,  of  which 
great  numbers  were  in  the  swamp.  Some  of  the 
people  had  eighteen  of  them  sticking  to  them  at 
once.  I  returned  by  the  road  which  led  to  the  sea 
side,  leaving  the  rest  to  return  by  the  road  they 
came.  The  country  through  which  I  traveled  was 
barren  and  sandy,  and  nothing  worthy  of  notice 
occurred  until  Cape  Temendefust  bore  north,  there  a 
ridge  or  hill  of  quicksand  of  a  considerable  height, 
which  runs  about  half  a  mile  and  entirely  obstructs 
the  passage  between  the  head  of  the  bay  and  the 
country,  and  serves  as  a  natural  bulwark  against 
invasion  so  far  as  it  runs.  Between  this  and  the 
Cape  is  a  tupana  (battery)  and  on  the  Cape  is  a 
castle  in  which  a  Turkish  garrison  is  always  kept. 
About  two  miles  from  the  ridge  towards  the  town  is 
a  battery  of  seven  twelve-pounders,  and  there  begins 
the  entrenchments  thrown  up  in  the  year  1775,  when 
the  Spaniards  landed  here  under  the   command  of 


88  THE    CAPTIVES. 

Gen.  O'Reily,  the  chief  command  having  been  given 
to  Don  Pedro  Castigon.  The  remains  of  these 
entrenchments  approach  to  within  about  two  miles 
of  the  city,  but  are  going  fast  to  decay,  and  are 
defended,  that  is  between  the  aforesaid  battery  and 
the  city,  by  about  sixty  pieces  of  cannon,  which 
were  when  I  saw  them  all  dismounted  and  in  a 
ruinous  state,  the  carriages  being  in  a  magazine  built 
on  purpose  in  each  battery,  where  they  are  coated 
with  tar  as  well  as  the  guns  once  a  year  by  the  slaves 
and  no  further  care  is  taken  of  them,  and  many  that 
I  saw  were  entirely  decayed.  This  bay  is  also  com- 
manded by  the  Emperor's  Castle,  so  called  by  the 
centre  having  been  built  by  the  order  of  Charles  V. 
in  his  unfortunate  expedition  against  Algiers  in  1541, 
and  would  render  landing  in  the  bay  very  dangerous 
was  it  kept  in  good  order;  neither  would  it  be  an 
easy  matter  to  take  it  by  storm  as  it  is  furnished 
with  a  drawbridge,  but  at  present  most  of  the  guns 
are  dismounted  and  is  only  garrisoned  by  one 
Turkish  family,  who  reside  there  to  take  care  of  the 
magazine  wherein  a  quantity  of  gunpowder  is  laid  by. 
"So  secure  do  the  Algerines  conceive  themselves 
from  invasion  that  they  have  neglected  to  fortify  a 
hill  which  the  Christians  call  Belvidere,  situated  just 
above  the  town  to  the  westward,  and  commands 
both  the  city  and  the  Emperor's  Castle,  and  would 
undoubtedly  be  the  first  place  an  invading  General 
would  take  possession  of.  At  the  distance  of  two 
miles  in  this  direction  Algiers  with  its  Marine 
fortifications,  vessels  in  the  mole  and  bay,  its 
minasets  and  number  of  beautiful  country  seats  in  its 


DESCRIPTION    OF    THE    CITY    OF    ALGIERS.  89 

vicinity,  forms  one  of  the  most  beautiful  prospects 
in  the  world,  and  if  this  country  was  blessed  with  a 
good  government  which  would  promote  the  welfare 
of  its  subjects  and  encourage  agriculture,  arts  and 
manufactures,  it  would  become  in  a  very  few  years  a 
perfect  paradise;  it  would  also  become  a  commercial 
nation  of  considerable  importance  and  from  a  "Den 
of  Thieves,"  which  it  is  at  present,  it  would  rank 
among  the  civilized  nations  of  the  earth.  But  the 
jealousy  of  the  trading  nations  of  Europe  will 
prevent  that  from  ever  taking  place,  unless  they 
should  be  entirely  subdued.  What  a  pity  such  a 
character  as  Napoleon  Bonaparte,  with  one  hundred 
thousand  men  under  his  command,  had  not  a  footing 
in  Barbary;  with  that  force  he  v/ould  subdue  the 
whole  of  the  Barbary  States  from  Salu  to  Derma  in 
less  than  twelve  months.  From  Bebal  Wed  gate 
to  Hassan  Bashaw's  garden,  against  the  walls  of 
which  is  built  the  large  magazine  to  lay  the  gunboats 
up  in,  is  about  one  English  mile  to  the  northwest. 
This  magazine  is  no  longer  used  for  the  purpose  it 
was  built,  the  gunboats,  when  I  was  last  in  Algiers, 
being  laid  up  in  a  dry  ditch  contiguous  to  the  walls 
of  the  city,  near  this  gate.  This  place  was  formerly 
used  for  a  rope  walk.  At  about  a  furlong  from  the 
gate  is  the  Castle  Siddi  Ako-leet,  built  in  a  more 
regular  manner  than  any  of  the  other  fortifications, 
having  a  small  mine  running  from  it  to  a  short 
distance,  which  was  used  for  a  powder  magazine,  but 
it  being  near  the  sandy  bar  it  was  found  [too  damp 
for  the  purpose  and  the  powder  was  conveyed  to 
Alcasanbah.     This  fortification,  with  another  called 


90  THE    CAPTIVES. 

the  Star  Castle,  from  having  five  acute  angles,  com- 
mands the  bay  to  the  westward  and  is  capable  of 
giving  great  annoyance  to  an  enemy  who  would 
attempt  to  land  here;  but  as  the  guns  and  carriages 
are  generally  out  of  order  and  it  is  only  garrisoned 
by  one  family  of  Turks,  they  might  easily  be  either 
taken  by  a  regular  assault  or  by  being  surprised. 
The  Emperor's  Castle  likewise  commands  the  Castle 
of  the  Star  as  well  as  the  bay  to  the  east.  Between 
the  gate  of  Bebal  Wed  and  the  Dey's  garden  is  a 
large  burying  ground,  common  to  Moors  and  Turks, 
and  likewise  the  seven  cupolas  which  are  the 
sepulchres  of  seven  Deys  who  were  elected  and 
murdered  several  years  ago.  These  cupolas  are 
very  conspicuous  from  the  sea.  Next  the  sea  is  the 
Christians  burying  ground  where  all  Christians  of 
whatever  rank  are  interred  in  the  sand  a  few  yards 
from  the  wash  of  the  sea  at  high  water,  no  other 
place  being  allowed  them.  The  Jews  have  several 
burying  places  which  have  been  purchased  at 
enormous  prices  by  their  ancestors,  and  even  at  this 
day  they  continue  to  pay  for  the  privilege  of  being 
buried  there.  The  Christians  are  allowed  to  bury 
their  dead  gratis.  From  the  Dey's  garden  to  the 
Ponto  Pescado  near  Cape  Caxines  is  about  four 
miles,  and  is  beautifully  interspersed  with  country 
seats.  The  coast  is  likewise  guarded  by  several 
batteries  which  are  of  no  use  whatever,  the  coast 
being  guarded  by  nature  with  rocks  and  precipices, 
which  would  effectually  prevent  boats  from  attempt- 
ing to  land  there,  and  it  would  be  dangerous  for  ships 
to   approach   near  enough  to   cannonade,  even  was 


DESCRIPTION    OF    THE    CITY    OF    ALGIERS.  QI 

there  any  object  in  that  quarter  which  would  warrant 
the  attempt.  At  the  Point  is  a  fortification  with  a 
small  garrison." 

Having  described  the  fortifications  of  Algiers  I 
think  it  not  an  improper  place  to  give  an  account  of 
their  naval  force,  from  the  date  of  my  captivity  to 
the  return  of  their  squadron  from  the  Levant,  the 
manner  of  equiping  them  having  been  already 
described. 

EXTRACT    FROM    MY    JOURNAL. 

On  the  17th  of  July,  1789,  in  consequence  of  the 
war  between  the  Ottoman  Porte  and  the  Empress  of 
Russia,  five  large  Cruisers  were  sent  to  the  Levant  (to 
Constantinople)  under  the  command  of  Hadgi 
Soliman,  formerly  Captain  of  the  Port  of  Algiers,  in 
order  to  join  the  Grand  Signore's  fleet  to  be 
employed  against  Bussia,  viz: 

One  *Xebec  of  thirty-four  guns,  one  Saettia  of 
thirty-two  guns,  one  Saettia  of  twenty-eight  guns, 
one  Saettia  of  twenty-six  guns,  one  Saettia  of  twenty- 
two  guns,  one  fjaveque  of  fourteen  guns,  three 
Quarter  Gallies,  fourteen  benches  with  seventy  men 
each,  fourteen  open  sail  of  gunboats  fit  for  service, 
and  forty  more  entirely  out  of  repair  on  which  the 
carpenters  are  employed.  The  above  composes  the 
whole  naval  force  of  Algiers  to  which  so  many 
nations  pay  tribute. 

There  is  very  little  in  the  city  of  Algiers  which 
attract?  the  notice  of  strangers,  the  streets  are  narrow 
and  dark,  especially  in  the  Jews'  quarter.      The  only 

*The  one  that  took  the  Dauphin,  August,  1785. 

fThe  Javeque,  the  one  that  captured  the  writer,  July  25,  1785,  remains 
in  the  mole. 


92 


THE    CAPTIVES. 


good  streets  are  the  main  streets  leading  from 
Bebazoon  to  Bebal  Wed  passing  the  Dey's  palace, 
and  the  one  leading  from  near  the  Dey's  palace  to 
the  gate  of  the  Marine,  passing  by  the  great  Mosque 
and  the  great  Coffee  house.  The  public  buildings 
are  the  Dey's  palace,  the  Mosque,  the  Public  schools 
and  the  Slave  prisons,  which  I  have  already  described 
and  will  describe  the  others  in  order,  beginning  at 
the  Dey's  palace. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

The  Dey's  palace  is  composed  of  a  number  of 
buildings  built  at  different  times,  having  communica- 
tion with  each  other  by  galleries,  terraces,  open 
arches  and  some  doors  irregularly  thrown  together 
without  attending  to  any  order  of  architecture,  either 
ancient  or  modern,  and  stands  upon  a  space  of  about 
an  acre  square  comprising  the  Dey's  garden,  the 
whole  of  which  is  enclosed  either  by  its  own  walls  or 
the  walls  of  the  adjoining  buildings.  To  describe 
the  whole  of  this  irregular  mass  will  be  difficult,  I 
will  however  attempt  it,  commencing  from  the  palace 
gate.  Going  towards  Bebal  Wed  nearly  in  the 
center  of  the  town  is  the  Dey's  palace,  on  the  left 
hand  is  a  large  gate,  the  only  entrance  to  this  seat  of 
despotism,  through  which  passes  all  the  beasts  of 
burden  belonging  to  the  palace  as  well  as  to  the  Dey 
and  Grandees.  On  each  side  of  this  gate  and  oppo- 
site at  one  side  are  seats  for  the  Nobagias  or  palace 
guards,  who  are  thirty-two  in  number,  but  seldom  all 
present  at  one  time.  Before  the  palace  gate  is  a 
square  area  covered  with  grape  vines,  the  fruit  of 
which  no  conscientious  Mussulman  will  eat  in  conse- 
quence of  all  Christians  who  are  beheaded  for  any 
crime  being  put  to  death  under  these  vines,  and  when 
heads  and  ears  being  sent  in  from  the  interior  being 


94  THE     CAPTIVES. 

piled  up  under  them  until  buried  by  the  Jews  or 
Arabs  who  are  met  in  the  street,  when  the  Dey  orders 
them  to  be  taken  away.  Around  this  square  is  the 
Aga  Hanute  or  seat  as  likewise  the  Kiegias,  the 
chief  surgeons,  the  Dey's  barber  and  several  seats  of 
the  police  officers,  also  the  hangman.  The  gate  is 
covered  with  a  terrace  which  is  surrounded  with  a 
gilt  railing  in  the  center  of  which  is  a  flag  staff 
mounted  with  a  gilt  crescent  on  which  the  banners 
of  the  nation  as  well  as  those  of  the  Grand  Signore 
and  Mahomet  are  hoisted  on  Fridays  and  festivals, 
and  on  the  bairams  a  band  of  Turkish  music  sits  and 
plays  in  this  gallery.  Under  the  flag  in  the  porch  is 
a  marble  fountain  constantly  running,  and  seats 
where  the  Grandees  sit  every  evening,  Tuesdays  and 
Fridays  excepted,  where  they  converse  together  for 
a  short  time  and  receive  the  compliments  of  those 
who  pass  by  or  in  and  out  of  the  palace.  By  the 
gate  hangs  a  large  chain,  which  besides  serving  to 
secure  it  has  this  particular  privilege,  that  any  person 
whatever,  that  has  been  ill-treated  by  another  and 
takes  hold  of  this  chain  and  cries  with  a  loud  voice, 
"Justice  in  the  name  of  God,"  is  immediately  taken 
before  the  Dey  who  will  administer  impartial  justice 
upon  the  spot;  but  if  the  plaintiff  is  found  to  be  in 
the  wrong  he  is  sure  to  receive  a  severe  bastinadoing. 
From  the  porch  you  turn  to  the  left  into  a  large 
Court  yard  paved  wit"h  marble.  The  first  thing 
that  strikes  you  is  a  narrow,  dark  staircase  by  which 
the  Dey  ascends  and  descends,  which  bears  no  pro- 
portion to  the  rest  of  the  building.  The  only 
reason  assigned  for  not  altering  it  is  that  in  case  of , 


DESCRIPTION    OF    THE    CITY    OF    ALGIERS.  95 

rebellion,  of  which  they  are  always  in  dread,  but  few 
people  could  get  up  at  a  time  and  the  Dey  would  be 
able  to  defend  himself  longer  than  if  the  staircase 
was  wider.  Around  this  Court  on  the  left  hand  from 
the  staircase  to  the  upper  end  is  a  piazza,  under 
which  the  Moorish  Chaouxes  and  Secretaries  sit,  the 
marble  pavement  is  there  raised  one  foot  and  at  the 
upper  end  is  the  Dey's  seat,  composed  of  the  same 
material  as  the  Vikilhadges  of  the  Marine  already 
described,  and  indeed  all  the  Grandees'  seats  are 
made  in  the  same  manner.  On  the  Dey's  right  hand 
is  the  large  divan  where  the  four  Turkish  Hodges  or 
Secretaries  of  State  sit  and  where  archives  of  the 
nation  are  kept,  which  consists  of  a  few  large  books 
and  papers,  the  whole  not  comprising  as  much  paper 
as  would  be  found  in  the  office  of  a  country  attorney. 
This  place  as  well  as  the  Dey's  seat  is  under  a  hand- 
some piazza  supported  by  marble  pillars,  having  a 
marble  fountain  in  the  center  and  ornamented  with 
looking  glasses  brought  from  Venice.  Around 
towards  the  right  are  the  doors  of  the  two  Treasuries 
before  which  thirty-two  Nobagias  sleep  every  night 
on  mattresses.  From  this  Court  you  go  under  a 
large  arch  to  the  right  and  come  into  a  paved  Court 
which  leads  into  the  lower  part  of  the  palace.  In 
this  Court  is  a  blacksmith  shop  with  several  Christian 
slaves  constantly  at  work  shoeing  horses  and  other 
necessary  work  for  the  palace,  from  hence  is  a  stone 
flight  of  steps  which  leads  to  the  terrace  where 
several  Christians  are  kept  employed  cleaning  fire- 
arms. The  lower  part  of  the  palace  contains  the 
slaughter  house  and  a  place  to  keep  sheep,  firewood, 


96  THE    CAPTIVES. 

etc.,  and  where  I  have  actually  counted  one  hundred 
and  fifty  cats  at  a  time,  all  sprung  from  a  favorite 
pair  of  a  former  Dey,  and  notwithstanding  several 
sacks  full  are  turned  out  annually  their  number 
seems  to  increase.  To  describe  the  rest  of  the 
palace  it  is  necessary  to  return  to  the  staircase  by 
which  the  Dey  ascends;  this  passes  by  a  small  room 
where  the  Captains,  a  proa  before  described,  sleeps 
and  keeps  their  brushes,  etc.,  for  keeping  the  Court 
yard  clean  and  leads  to  a  neat  gallery  paved  with 
china  tiles,  which  runs  the  whole  length  of  the 
kitchen.  In  this  gallery  the  chief  cook  has  his  seat 
which  the  Dey,  as  in  Pharaoh's  time,  occupies  for 
some  time  each  afternoon,  and  from  thence  adminis- 
ters justice;  and  not  unfrequently  the  Christian 
Consuls  receive  the  Dey's  order  to  write  to  their 
governments  to  send  such  articles  as  he  requires,  and 
threatens  that  if  they  do  not  arrive  in  such  a  time, 
bastinadoing  and  imprisonment.  Above  this  gallery 
is  another  of  much  the  same  description  in  which 
there  is  a  much  more  magnificent  seat  than  any  of 
the  rest,  but  seldom  used.  Here  the  Dey  receives 
Ambassadors  and  gives  them  their  private  audiences, 
and  when  the  Dey  wishes  to  honor  the  Grand 
Signore's  Ambassador  in  a  particular  manner,  the 
Dey  seats  him  beside  him  on  this  seat,  but  this  very 
seldom  happens  as  the  Embassies  from  the  Porte  are 
seldom  of  an  agreeable  nature,  mostly  being  to 
demand  restitution  for  property  plundered  from  the 
Greeks,  Emperor  of  Germany's  subjects,  and  those 
of  the  Republic  of  Ragusa,  who  navigate  by  special 
license   from   the   Grand   Signore,   and    their   peace 


DESCRIPTION    OF    THE    CITY    OF    ALGIERS.  97 

with  the  Barbary  States  is  under  his  immediate 
guarantee  and  specified  by  a  passport  under  the  seal 
of  the  Ottoman  Empire  called  a  Firman;  nevertheless 
the  Barbary  States  frequently  capture  their  vessels 
and  enslave  their  subjects.  This  gallery  communi- 
cates with  apartments  for  slaves,  store  rooms,  etc., 
which  are  used  for  the  different  purposes  of  domestic 
economy.  There  is  a  large  room  where  the  slaves 
of  that  department  eat  and  sleep,  with  a  gallery 
before  it  which  leads  to  the  Coffee  house,  where 
coffee  is  made  for  the  Dey  and  Grandees  and  for 
any  one  who  has  ingress  and  egress  from  this  terrific 
mansion.  From  these  terraces  you  descend  towards 
the  garden,  in  the  center  of  which  is  a  small  neat 
house,  which  was  built  for  the  Seraglio  of  Bobba 
Ally,  the  predecessor  of  Mahomed  Bashaw,  the  Dey 
who  reigned  when  I  was  captured,  but  it  is  now  used 
for  store  rooms  for  carpets,  blankets,  etc.  From 
thence  you  descend  through  the  kitchen  appropriated 
to  the  use  of  the  cappa  negros,  and  then  enter  into 
the  precincts  of  the  garden  by  a  paved  covered  yard, 
where  is  running  constantly  by  pipes  as  fine  water  as 
any  in  the  world,  with  which  the  garden  is  supplied. 
There  is  likewise  a  large  oven  here  which  is  but 
seldom  used  except  when  the  Dey's  Bagnio  is  heated. 
From  this  Court  you  enter  the  house  in  the  garden 
which  is  two  stories  high,  the  Court  is  paved  round 
with  marble  and  has  a  large  reservoir  in  the  center  to 
receive  water  for  the  use  of  the  garden,  which  flows 
from  a  handsome  marble  fountain  where  the 
Hasnadars  frequently  perform  their  ablutions  before 
prayer.      There  are  also  around  this  gallery  and  the 


98  THE     CAPTIVES. 

one  above  several  very  good  rooms  and  likewise  the 
Dey's  hot  bath  which  he  uses  every  Friday,  and  the 
Hasnadars  and  chief  cooks  through  the  week.  The 
slaves  are  also  permitted  to  bathe  there  on  days 
when  it  is  not  used  by  their  masters.  This  Bagnio  is 
not  as  large  as  some  in  the  city,  but  as  they  are  all 
built  alike  a  description  of  this  will  suffice  for  the 
whole. 

The  entrance  to  this  Bagnio  is  through  a  small 
room  which  leads  into  another  still  smaller,  where  is 
a  divan  and  couch  made  up  of  fine  blankets,  where 
the  person  who  is  going  to  bathe  undresses  himself, 
then  proceeds  into  a  small  room  which  partakes  in  a 
great  degree  of  the  heat  of  the  bath,  as  it  as  well  as 
the  bath  are  built  over  the  oven  before  mentioned. 
There  the  party  attended  by  three  Mosabies,  who 
are  brought  up  to  this  business"  from  their  3/outh, 
stand  a  short  time  in  order  to  be  a  little  seasoned 
and  prepared  for  the  intense  heat  of  the  bath;  for  if 
a  person,  especially  one  who  is  not  accustomed  to 
bathing,  should  go  into  the  bath  without  this  pre- 
caution, it  would  nearly  suffocate  him.  After  a 
sufficient  degree  of  perspiration  is  excited,  the 
person,  swaddled  in  cotton  towels  made  for  the 
purpose  and  mounted  on  high  wooden  clogs,  enters 
the  Bagnio  and  seats  himself  on  a  long  pine  table 
about  a  foot  from  the  ground.  Here  the  bathers 
commence  the  operation  of  kneading  the  flesh  of 
their  patients,  cracking  at  the  same  time  every  joint, 
and  then  with  hair  cloth  mittens  lather  them  all  over 
with  soap  suds,  and  when  they  suppose  the  pores 
sufficiently  cleansed  they  commence  throwing  water 


DESCRIPTION    OF    THE    CITY    OF    ALGIERS.  99 

over  the  body,  which  they  draw  from  two  brass  cocks 
fixed  in  copper  boilers,  one  holding  hot  water  and 
the  other  cold,  and  when  thoroughly  cleansed,  the 
person  being  previously  shaved,  is  covered  with 
clean,  dry  towels,  and  led  into  the  next  apartment 
where  he  stands  a  short  time  as  on  entrance,  and 
then  goes  into  the  room  where  the  couch  is — pre- 
pared by  the  Dey's  Christian  attendants — and  dry 
clothes  being  put  on  him  he  is  covered  up,  and 
reposes  for  an  half  hour,  and  sometimes  more,  taking 
coffee  and  those  who  smoke  regale  themselves  with 
a  pipe.  They  then  are  dressed,  by  their  attendants, 
in  clean  clothes  from  head  to  foot,  and  put  on  their 
Al  Burnase  or  cloak,  putting  the  hood  over  their 
head  and  leave  the  Bagnio,  not  uncovering  themselves 
before  the  perspiration  gradually  subsides,  and  in 
this  manner  all  ranks  of  society  bathe;  with  more  or 
less  grandeur  at  the  public  bath.  A  soldier  may 
bathe  for  three  cents,  but  few  give  less  than  nine. 
The  Dey's  bath  is  paved  with  marble,  inlaid  with 
painted  tiles  from  Genoa,  and  is  covered  with  a  dome 
which  has  small  windows  and  holes  to  let  in  light 
and  air.  All  the  Bagnios  in  this  Regency,  and 
indeed  in  all  Barbary,  are  built  on  the  same  principle 
and  more  or  less  ornamented.  Those  in  the  Dey's 
and  Grandee's  ladies  houses,  I  am  told,  are  magnifi- 
cent, and  their  manner  of  bathing  corresponds  with 
the  description  given  by  Lady  Mary  Wortley 
Montague  in  her  description  of  the  manners  of  the 
Turks. 

The   garden    is   of   small    extent,    and    contains 
nothing  but  oranges,  lemons,  and  pomegranates,  and 


100  THE    CAPTIVES. 

is  covered  with  grape  vines  in  many  places.  It  is 
surrounded  by  walls,  and  has  places  for  keeping 
lions,  tigers  and  antelopes  which,  when  young  are 
permitted  to  remain  here,  but  not  when  large  enough 
to  be  very  dangerous,  when  they  are  sent  out  to  the 
dens  in  the  Bagnio  Galera.  The  stores,  around  the 
garden,  contain  various  articles  of  clothing  for  the 
slaves  and  new  recruits,  firearms  and  a  room  filled 
with  lion  and  tiger  skins.  There  is  likewise  an  old 
house,  in  a  ruinous  condition,  filled  with  small 
baskets  for  pigeons  to  brood  in,  and  like  the  cats, 
are  said  to  proceed  from  a  single  pair,  and  are  so 
very  numerous  that  it  is  incredible  to  believe  it;  but 
it  is  nevertheless  true  that  twice  a  day,  before  the 
Dey's  throne,  is  scattered  a  bag  of  grain,  wheat  or 
barley,  which  holds  two  bushels,  and  in  ten  minutes 
the  pigeons  descend  in  such  flocks  that  there  is  not  a 
grain  left.  I  am  persuaded,  however,  that  all  those 
pigeons  were  not  bred  in  the  Dey's  palace;  but,  as 
the  grain  is  always  thrown  down  at  the  same  hour, 
there  assemble  all  the  pigeons  to  partake  of  this 
repast.  The  appearance  of  this  part  of  the  palace 
indicates  that  a  number  of  old  houses  have  been 
joined  to  the  mass  since  the  principal  building  was 
appropriated  to  its  present  use,  .some  of  which  have 
been  torn  down,  others  altered  and  some  still  remain 
in  their  original  state,  mouldering  to  ruins,  so  that 
an  exact  description  is  impossible.  To  return  to  the 
upper  gallery,  on  the  staircase  ascending  to  the  Dey's 
apartments,  on  the  right  hand  is  the  First  Hasnadar's 
apartment,  which  is  a  handsome  square  room,  well 
lighted,  ornamented  with  carved  work  of  flowers,  etc., 


DESCRIPTION    OF    THE    CITY    OF   ALGIERS.  lOI 

furnished  with  handsome  carpets,  a  divan,  some 
boxes,  and  small  tables,  inlaid  with  Mother  of  Pearl, 
Tortoise  shell,  etc.,  and  hung  around  with  firearms, 
swords,  and  pistols,  mounted  in  gold  and  silver, 
inlaid  mostly  with  Coral.  Next  you  ascend  to  the 
Dey's  apartments,  which  formerly  consisted  of  one 
room  in  which,  like  the  Hasnadar,  the  Dey  ate  and 
drank  and  slept,  and  had  nothing  in  it  different  from 
the  Hasnadars,  except  that  the  arms,  clocks  and 
other  ornaments,  were  more  costly.  Before  the  door 
of  this  apartment,  the  Dey  has  a  seat  where  he  gives 
an  audience  at  particular  times  to  Ambassadors, 
Consuls,  and  others;  but  only  to  those  v/ith  whom  he 
is  on  good  terms.  Behind  this  seat  and  opposite 
this  apartment  are  the  rooms  appropriated  for  the 
use  of  the  slaves,  and  other  conveniences  of  the 
Dey's  person,  the  whole  of  which  is  handsomely 
paved  with  tiles  and  marble. 

Thus  have  I  described  the  whole  of  the  Dey's 
palace  in  the  reign  of  Mahomed  Bashaw,  but  Hassan 
Bashaw  has  added  a  beautiful  suite  of  rooms — 
indeed  a  whole  house — ^to  the  old  palace;  which,  as 
this  description  will  likewise  serve  for  all  the  best 
houses  in  Algiers,  I  will  be  the  more  particular. 

Hassan  Bashaw  has  been  at  great  expense  upon 
this  building,  which  joins  the  last  described  apart- 
ment, and  is  the  highest  part  of  the  palace.  It  is 
built  of  stone  and  brick  cemented  with  mortar,  as 
most  of  the  other  houses  are,  plastered  over  and 
whitewashed,  so  that  on  the  outside  you  see  nothing 
but  bare  walls  and  some  holes,  in  the  shape  of  a 
Gothic   door,   for  windows,   which  are   placed  very 


102  THE    CAPTIVES. 

high  from  the  ground,  and  when  any  aperture  is 
made  large  enough  for  a  person  to  go  in  or  out,  it  is 
secured  with  a  strong  iron  grating.  Its  shape  is  a 
square,  around  which  the  apartments  are  built,  the 
lower  part  of  this  building  seems  to  be  of  little  use, 
and  only  intended  to  support  an  elegant  suite  of 
rooms,  upon  the  attic,  which  is  upon  a  level  with 
the  Dey's  apartments  already  described.  The  Court 
yard  and  piazza  are  paved  with  marble  as  well  as  all 
the  rooms.  The  terrace  of  the  piazza,  which  runs 
all  around,  is  supported  with  marble  pillars  resem- 
bling the  Corinthian  order,  but  not  regular.  The 
doors  and  window  shutters,  which  are  towards  the 
gallery,  are  made  in  the  Gothic  style,  carved  and 
painted,  and  the  borders  and  mouldings  are  gilt  with 
the  gold  of  Venitian  sequins.  The  ceilings  are 
ornamented  with  carved  work,  representing  flowers, 
bunches  of  grapes,  fruits  of  different  sorts,  in  the 
Turkish  style,  the  workmen  being  Greeks,  who  were 
sent  to  the  Dey  from  Constantinople  for  the  express 
purpose  of  ornamenting  these  rooms.  The  walls  are, 
for  about  half  way  up,  encrusted  with  painted  tiles  of 
Genoa,  and  high  up,  near  the  ceiling,  are  several 
holes  resembling  pigeon  holes,  which  are  closed  with 
stucco  work,  resembling  bunches  of  flowers,  covered 
on  the  reverse  with  pieces  of  different  colored  glass, 
according  to  the  color  of  the  flowers  which  are 
intended  to  be  represented,  which  has  a  pretty  effect 
when  reflected  upon  by  the  rays  of  the  sun.  The 
furniture  consists  of  beautiful  divans  covered  with 
handsome  Turkey  carpets  as  are  the  floors,  beautiful 
boxes,    inlaid   with   Mother  of   Pearl,  Tortoise   and 


DESCRIPTION    OF    THE    CITY    OF   ALGIERS.  IO3 

Coral,  some  chests  of  drawers  fitted  with  watches, 
rings,  snuff  boxes,  and  other  trinkets,  enriched  with 
diamonds  and  other  precious  stones,  on  which  were 
placed  some  elegant  table  clocks  and  other  orna- 
ments. Around  the  rooms  were  hung  elegant  Turkish 
muskets,  sabres,  attagans,  and  other  implements  of 
war,  ornamented  in  gold  and  Coral,  besides  several 
pairs  of  pistols,  enriched  with  diamonds  and  some 
beautiful  muskets  and  fowling  pieces,  which  the  Deys 
have  received  as  presents  from  the  different  Christian 
nations  with  whom  they  were  at  peace.  Among  the 
latter  is  a  beautiful  double  barreled  fowling  piece 
which  formerly  belonged  to  the  unfortunate  Louis 
the  XVI,  which  was  presented  to  Hassan  Bashaw  by 
my  worthy  friend  Joel  Barlow,  Esq.,  as  a  part  of  the 
presents  made  by  the  United  States  a  few  months 
after  our  peace  took  place.  In  this  house  is  likewise 
deposited  all  his  cash  which  amounted,  in  my  time, 
to  200,000  sequins,  equal  to  $360,000;  but  when  this 
Regency  makes  arrangements  with  Christian  powers, 
and  the  sum  is  specified  to  be  paid  in  sequins,  and 
the  payment  is  made  in  dollars,  they  frequently 
insist  on  valuing  the  sequin  at  two  Spanish  dollars 
each. 

Having  described  the  palace,  as  well  as  it  is 
possible  to  describe  such  a  confused  mass  of  build- 
ings, I  will  next  proceed  to  describe  the  Mosques, 
Fonduces  or  Caravanseras,  and  other  public  buildings, 
especially  the  Casarias  or  Turkish  Soldiers  Barracks. 
Nearly  opposite  to  the  palace  is  the  Dey's  Mosque, 
where  he,  with  all  the  Grandees,  perform  their 
devotions  every  Friday.      It  is  a  small  neat  building 


104  THE     CAPTIVES. 

consisting  of  one  large  room  covered  with  mats  and 
some  small  carpets — made  purposely  for  Mussulmen 
to  pray  on — and  has  no  ornaments  except  some 
sentences  from  the  Koran,  written  in  large  Arabic 
characters  upon  the  wall,  likewise  it  has  a  place  like 
a  reading  desk,  from  which  the  Koran  is  read  and 
also  a  small  place  resembling  a  pulpit  from  which, 
on  particular  days,  a  discourse  is  delivered  not  unlike 
our  sermons.  There  is  no  fountain  in  this  Mosque, 
consequently  the  Dey  and  Grandees  go  there  already 
purified.  The  great  Mosque  has  a  large  fountain  for 
purification;  but,  in  other  respects,  is  the  same  as  the 
one  described  only  much  larger,  and  the  Minaret 
much  higher,  which,  during  the  time  of  Ramadan, 
as  well  as  all  the  other  Minarets,  is  illuminated, 
which  makes  a  handsome  appearance  at  a  distance. 
There  are  several  inscriptions  on  this  Mosque,  but 
none  of  them  are  legible  to  the  naked  eye,  nor  could 
I  find  anyone  who  knew  of  their  origin.  It  is  well 
known  that  all  Mussulmen  take  off  their  shoes  or 
sandals  when  they  go  to  worship.  At  this  Mosque 
they  leave  them  outside  the  doors,  and  frequently 
the  slaves,  either  pressed  by  necessity  or  motives  of 
villainy,  steal  thirty  or  forty  pairs  of  shoes  at  a  time, 
and  get  off  with  them  leaving  the  true  believers  to 
go  home  barefoot.  This  Mosque  has  the  privilege 
to  hoist  the  flag  first  to  summon  to  prayer,  and  is 
followed  by  all  the  rest  which,  in  every  respect,  are 
similar  to  those  already  described. 

The  Public  schools  are  four  in  number,  and  are 
square  buildings  with  small  rooms  all  around.  The 
scholars    study   reading,   writing,   and  the    common 


DESCRIPTION    OF    THE    CITY    OF   ALGIERS.  IO5 

rules  of  arithmetic,  in  the  area  in  the  open  air.  They 
are  generally  taught  by  the  Imans  of  the  Mosque, 
who  receive  a  small  compensation,  annually,  from 
the  government,  besides  presents  occasionally  from 
the  parents  and  friends  of  their  scholars,  most  of 
whom  are  Arabs  or  the  children  of  people  who  live 
at  a  distance  from  the  city.  Their  books  consist  of 
the  Koran  and  commentations  on  the  Koran,  and 
they  learn  to  write  with  pens  made  of  reeds  on 
square  boards,  which  are  whitewashed  and  when  full 
the  writing  is  washed  out,  and  the  scholar  commences 
his  lessons  again,  which  is  a  very  economical  way  as 
no  paper  whatever  is  used,  and  notwithstanding  it 
seems  impossible  to  us  that  they  should  ever  write  a 
fair  hand  in  this  manner,  it  is  really  astonishing  to 
what  perfection  they  write  the  several  Arabic 
characters,  and  I  have  seen  copies  of  the  Koran  that 
would  grace  any  library  in  the  world  in  point  of 
execution.  The  rooms,  which  are  for  the  scholars 
to  sleep  in,  are  furnished  with  a  few  mats,  and  the 
provisions,  which  are  provided  by  the  institution,  are 
of  the  coarsest  kind;  so  was  it  not  for  the  charity  of 
the  well  disposed  and  some  trifling  support  from 
their  own  friends,  the  scholars  would  lead  a  very 
poor  life;  as  it  is,  they  are  very  abstemious,  I  am 
persuaded,  more  through  necessity  than  voluntary 
penance.  There  are  some  day  schools,  as  with  us, 
but  the  better  sort  have  their  children  taught  in  their 
own  houses  by  their  religious  men,  in  the  same 
manner  as  in  their  schools,  and  among  those,  who 
have  any  education  at  all,  there  is  a  greater  equality 
than  in  any  other  part  of  the  world,  the  whole  of  the 


I06  THE    CAPTIVES. 

abilities  of  the  most  learned  men  among  them,  only 
extending  to  reading,  writing,  the  common  rules  of 
arithmetic,  and  the  expounding  of  different  sentences 
of  the  Koran,  and  explaining  the  different  comments 
on  it,  and  the  rest  of  their  religious  authors. 

In  all  this  Regency  was  not  a  man,  in  my  time, 
who  could  calculate  an  eclipse  of  the  sun  or  moon. 
Their  navigators  merely  knew  how  to  take  the  sun's 
meridian,  altitude,  to  work  the  latitude,  and  to  prick 
off  the  ship's  course  on  a  plain  chart.  The  master 
shipmaster  who  had  been  a  slave  in  Spain  for  several 
years,  and  was  considered  the  best  scholar  in  the 
Regency,  could  not  work  the  longitude  by  Lunar 
observations,  nor  work  a  plain  question  in  astronomy, 
either  by  logarithms  or  by  drawing  the  figure,  though 
that  was  the  chief  branch  of  this  study;  but  he  had 
a  very  plausible  tongue,  a  good  memory,  and  knew 
how  to  convert  the  abilities  of  the  Christian  masters 
and  mates  and  super  cargoes,  that  were  under  him, 
to  his  own  advantage.  How  many  men  do  we  see 
in  our  own  country  who  by  impudence,  false  pre- 
tenses, and  picking  up  in  formation  from  others,  and 
carrying  it  to  those  in  power,  are  preferred  to  the 
modest  or  timid  man  of  honor,  judgment  and 
integrity?  But  it  has  ever  been  so  in  society  and 
those,  who  suppose  there  is  more  virtue  or  candor  in 
our  country  than  any  other,  let  them  read  the  public 
prints  and  convince  themselves  to  the  contrary.  I 
thought  so  once  myself,  but  I  had  been  studying  the 
virtues  of  the  ancient  Romans.  Happy  would  it 
have  been  for  me  had  I  been  earlier  undeceived. 


DESCRIPTION    OF    THE    CITY    OF    ALGIERS.  IO7 

There  are  six  Casarias  or  Turkish  barracks,  which 
are  handsome  buildings  with  a  large  Court  yard  in 
the  center,  with  a  gallery  and  rooms  all  around,  and 
are  kept  remarkably  clean.  They  are  each  of  them 
patronized  by  some  of  the  great  men,  who  are  very 
liberal  to  the  Turks,  who  reside  there,  especially  to 
recruits  when  they  first  arrive  from  the  Levant. 
Each  Casaria  is  governed  by  an  Odabashi,  and 
several  officers  under  him,  and  has  one  or  more 
Chaoux  to  execute  their  orders,  and  likewise  an 
Iman  to  say  prayers  at  a  stated  time.  The  Turks 
who  reside  here  are  all  single  men,  and  the  gates  are 
shut  at  sunset,  the  keys  taken  to  the  Dey's  palace  at 
the  same  time  that  the  keys  of  the  gates  of  the  city 
are  deposited  there,  and  are  opened  at  the  same  time 
in  the  morning.  This  is  done  to  prevent  riot  and 
insurrection,  to  which  they  were  always  prone,  from 
taking  place  in  the  night.  Before  the  plague  made 
its  appearance  in  1786,  these  barracks  were  much 
crowded;  but  numbers  were  cut  off  by  that  terrible 
distemper,  which  made  room  for  the  better  accom- 
modation of  those  who  remained. 

There  are  fauducs  where  some  of  the  married 
and  superanuated  Turks,  who  are  poor,  reside;  but 
they  commonly  reside  in  their  own  houses  and  are 
considered  as  civilians,  when  not  on  actual  duty,  and 
are  under  the  same  regulations.  Each  Casaria  is 
allowed  one,  and  sometimes  two.  Christian  slaves  to 
keep  them  clean;  that  is  to  sweep  and  wash  the 
gallery  and  Court  yard,  and  sundry  other  services. 
There  are  several  taverns  in  the  city  besides  those  in 
the  prisons,  and  formerly  there  was  a  tavern  kept  in 


I08  THE    CAPTIVES. 

each  Casaria;  but  latterly,  these  have  been  prohibited 
in  consequence  of  the  great  irregularity  they  were 
productive  of,  and  a  Christian  having  been  found 
hung  to  the  beams  in  the  Casaria  at  the  gate  of  the 
Marine,  it  was  immediately  shut  up  and  no  liquor 
has  been  allowed  to  be  sold  in  any  of  the  Casarias 
since.  Those  in  the  city,  still  open,  are  the  Raphagi, 
which  belongs  to  the  Dey's  chief  clerk,  and  the 
Foundaria,  which  belonged  to  the  Greek  Master 
Builder  Demetrius.  These  two  pay  no  duty  to  the 
Regency,  and  are  allowed  as  a  perquisite  of  office  to 
those  who  fill  these  places,  and  are  very  productive, 
especially,  when  prizes  are  taken  which  are  loaded 
with  wine  and  brandy,  which  makes  the  grapes  to  be 
sold  very  cheap.  In  the  Magazine  is  the  very  cask 
which,  in  consequence  of  a  miracle  performed  by  a 
Maraboot  in  1541,  ran  with  wine  until  the  streets 
were  overflowed  down  to  the  Fisher's  gate,  and 
tinged  the  sea  to  a  considerable  distance  from  the 
shore,  during  the  tempest  which  destroyed  a  great 
part  of  the  Emperor  Charles  V.  fleet;  and  this  tradi- 
tion is  so  well  believed  by  the  Mahomedans  in 
general,  that  it  is  slung  up  and  a  lamp  constantly 
kept  burning  before  it,  and  frequently  those  who  go 
there  to  intoxicate  themselves,  light  a  number  of 
candles  and  adorn  the  old  cask  with  flowers,  with  as 
much  devotion  as  a  bigoted  Portuguese  would  the 
image  of  St.  Antonio.  The  Christian  tavern  keeper 
of  course  gives  in  to  the  idea,  apparently,  and  indeed 
so  he  ought,  as  he  is  the  only  person  who  benefits 
by  it,  as  this  old  cask  brings  a  great  deal  of  custom 
to  his  tavern,  which  otherwise  would  go  elsewhere. 


DESCRIPTION    OF    THE    CITY    OF    ALGIERS.  IO9 

as  the  Magazine  itself  is  a  miserable  dark  hole,  not 
near  so  comodious  as  many  of  the  other  taverns. 
There  are  several  other  taverns  in  town,  none  of 
which  are  worth  describing;  the  whole  number,  both 
in  and  out  of  the  prisons,  fluctuate  from  twenty-seven 
to  thirty,  all  kept  by  Christian  slaves  who  pay  a  con- 
siderable duty  to  the  Regency,  employ  from  fifty  to 
ninety  slaves,  and  maintain  more  than  double  the 
number  of  the  most  indigent,  who  without  those 
resceptacles  of  vice  and  immortality,  would  in  all 
probability  starve  for  want  of  food,  as  is  would  be 
impossible  for  them  to  live  long  upon  the  allowance 
which  they  receive  from  the  Regency.  Thus  has 
Divine  Providence,  who  is  forever  working  for  the 
benefit  of  us  unworthy  creatures,  devised  the  means 
of  bringing  some  good  out  of  much  evil  and  even 
here  has  not  abandoned  us  to  entire  want. 

There  is  little  more  worthy  of  notice  in  this  city. 
The  streets  are  dark  and  narrow,  especially  the  Jews' 
quarters,  in  one  of  which  is  their  slaughter  house, 
which  creates  an  intolerable  stench,  which  we  would 
suppose  would  create  a  plague  of  itself — the  contrary 
is  the  case,  for  in  that  quarter  fewer  Jews  died  of  the 
plague  than  in  any  other  and  it  was  one  of  the  last 
places  where  the  infection  spread. 

I  will  next  give  a  description  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  institutions  established  by  the  Spaniards, 
and  the  Ospicio  by  the  French,  which  are  both 
charitable  institutions  and  of  great  service  to  the 
slaves  in  general.  The  hospital  is  a  large  convenient 
building  adjoining  the  Bagnio  Galera,  which  is  shut 
every  night  at  the  same  time  that  the  prison  is,  but 


no  THE    CAPTIVES. 

has  a  communication  by  a  small  door  where,  in  the 
time  of  the  plague,  those  who  were  taken  ill  in  the 
night  were  passed  through,  and  several,  in  less  than 
twelve  hours,  were  carried  to  their  graves.  The 
common  sewers  of  the  hospital  communicate  with 
those  of  the  prison,  and  was  probably  the  reason  why 
the  mortality  was  greater  there  than  in  any  of  the 
other  prisons,  or  any  other  part  of  the  city.  The 
slaves  of  all  denominations — Protestants  and  Greeks, 
as  well  as  Roman  Catholics — are  admitted  into  this 
hospital  and  are  treated  all  alike,  without  any  dis- 
tinction, much  to  the  credit  of  the  priests,  surgeon, 
and  apothecary,  who  have  the  direction  and  manage- 
ment of  its  affairs;  and,  although  few  luxuries  are 
allowed,  the  diet  is  good  and  wholesome,  and  the 
medical  assistance  as  good  as  can  be  expected  in  such 
an  institution.  The  most  of  the  sick  are  contained  in 
a  large  ward,  and  are  accommodated  with  wool 
mattresses,  sheets  and  pillows,  and  if  the  weather  is 
cold,  with  a  blanket  if  they  have  none  of  their  own, 
and  are  not  prevented  from  using  their  own  beds  if 
they  have  any.  Those  beds  are  placed  on  boards 
raised  about  thirty  inches  from  the  ground  on  iron 
stands,  which  are  placed  and  replaced  at  pleasure, 
according  to  the  number  of  patients.  In  the  center 
is  an  altar  where  mass  is  said  daily,  and  in  the  even- 
ing rosary  is  likewise  said  or  sung,  at  which  one  of 
the  priests  always  assists.  There  are  also  several 
small  rooms  where  two  or  three  patients  are  accom- 
modated in  each,  and  are  generally  slaves  who  attend 
on  the  Dey  or  some  of  the  Grandees,  and  are  allowed 
this  favor  on  account  of  their  masters.     The  priests' 


DESCRIPTION    OF    THE    CITY    OF    ALGIERS.  Ill 

apartments  are  separate,  and  at  a  distance  from 
where  the  sick  are  deposited.  The}'  have  very  com- 
modious apartments,  a  good  church  or  chapel  and  a 
refectory,  well  stored.  They  are  a  good  sort  of 
people,  and  would  be  much  better  had  they  a  better 
class  of  people  to  deal  with.  Once  a  week  they 
distribute  to  the  indigent  slaves,  one  masoon  each 
and  sometimes  oflener,  when  their  funds  will  admit, 
which  are  generally  augmented  by  donations  from 
the  Consuls,  merchants,  and  sometimes  by  such  of 
the  slaves  as  are  in  the  way  of  saving  money,  and  are 
charitably  inclined.  The  fund?  necessary  for  this 
very  Christianlike  and  humane  establishment,  are 
furnished  entirely  by  Spaniards,  and  is  drawn  from 
the  Coffers  of  the  order  for  the  Redemption  of 
Captives.  This  institution  is  governed  by  a  Father 
administrator,  and  three  or  more  priests,  who  corre- 
spond with  the  principal  of  their  order  in  Spain,  and 
are  responsible  for  their  conduct  to  their  own  order 
only.  This  is  certainly  one  of  the  most  charitable 
and  laudable  institutions  in  the  world,  and  extends 
its  benign  influence  to  Christians  of  all  nations. 
What  would  the  slaves  have  suffered  during  the 
plague  had  they  not  had  a  place  to  receive  them 
when  oppressed  with  disease,  and  harrassed  with 
fatigue  and  worn  out  with  hard  labor?  For  the 
credit  of  those  good  priests  be  it  spoken.  They 
permit  those  that  are  not  really  sick,  but  find  means 
to  get  in  there  to  rest  a  few  days  to  recruit  them- 
selves, to  remain  there  eight  or  ten  days  until  they 
perfectly  recover  from  their  fatigue,  and  in  a  manner 
reanimated.      What  would  the  poor  Americans  have 


112  THE     CAPTIVES. 

done,  who  were  struck  with  the  plague  and  died 
during  our  captivity?  They  would  have  had  no 
alternative,  but  would  have  died,  either  in  the  street 
at  their  labor,  or  in  some  corner  in  the  prison,  with- 
out any  person  to  assist  them  or  to  console  them  in 
their  last  moments;  and  would  have  been  buried  in 
a  hole  like  a  dog.  In  the  hospital  they  are  at  least 
(even  the  poorest  sort)  sewed  up  in  a  blanket,  and 
carried  on  a  bier  covered  over  with  a  pall,  such  as  it 
may  be,  and  can  be  accompanied  by  any  of  their 
friends  or  countrymen  to  the  place  of  their  inter- 
ment; and  those,  who  have  friends  to  provide  cofifins, 
may  be  decently  interred.  Not  one  of  the  American 
captives  that  died  was  buried  without  a  coffin,  many 
of  them  I  had  made  at  my  own  expense.  The 
Regency  are  at  no  expense  whatever  on  account  of 
this  establishment,  but  tolerate  it  on  account  of  the 
great  use  it  is  to  them,  as  it  saves  a  great  number  of 
the  slaves'  lives  annually.  They  allow,  when  slaves 
are  plenty,  twelve  slaves  to  attend  the  sick  and  to  do 
the  necessary  work  of  the  hospital  gratis;  but  when 
slaves  are  scarce,  not  above  half  that  number.  The 
Osficio  is  a  Convent  dependent  on  the  Order  of 
Mercy  in  France,  and  is  governed  by  a  Vicar  and 
three  or  four  priests  of  that  order.  Their  duty  con- 
sists in  saying  mass  and  preaching  to  the  slaves  in 
the  prisons,  giving  them  spiritual  advice,  and 
administering  the  sacrament.  They  likewise  attend 
the  Roman  Catholic  houses  which  have  chapels,  and 
occasionally  give  charity  to  the  slaves  when  their 
funds  will  permit.  It  is  likewise  a  part  of  their  duty 
to  attend  the  slaves  in  the   time   of  invasion,   when 


DESCRIPTION    OF    THE    CITY    OF    ALGIERS.  II3 

they  are  sent,  chained  two  and  two  together,  into  the 
country;  and  Father  Joseph,  who  had  been  a  resident 
there  for  near  thirty  years,  had  twice  accompanied 
them  to  Media,  the  first  time  when  the  Spaniards 
invaded  Algiers  in  1775,  and  the  last  time,  in  1784, 
when  Don  Antonia  Barcelo  threatened  with  bom- 
bardment, which  in  reality  was  never  intended.  This 
holy  man  never  abandoned  them  in  these  times,  he 
hired  mules  to  accommodate  those  who  were  sick 
and  even  dismounted  and  walked  nearly  all  the  way, 
giving  his  mule  to  such  of  the  slaves  whose  feet 
were  lacerated  with  the  stones  and  heat,  and  reduced 
himself  to  the  same  situation  that  they  were  in,  the 
chains  excepted,  in  order  to  alleviate  their  sufferings. 
His  last  dollar  he  gave  away  to  the  cruel  Guardians 
to  induce  them  to  use  the  slaves  with  lenity;  nay, 
even  his  clothes  he  divided  among  them,  and  when 
he  returned  to  Algiers,  he  was  in  as  bad  a  condition 
as  any  of  them.  During  the  plague  he  constantly 
attended  on  the  slaves  in  the  prison  and  hospital, 
until  he  was  infected  himself,  and  although  he  had 
that  distemper  very  severely,  and  was  a  long  time 
before  he  was  cured  of  his  sores,  he  continually 
attended  to  his  duty  the  moment  he  was  able  to  rise 
from  his  bed.  Ultimately  it  pleased  God  that  he 
should  recover,  that  he  might  continue  his  benevo- 
lence to  those  poor,  abandoned,  and  dejected 
creatures,  for  he  praised  the  God  of  mercy  and 
goodness,  and  dedicated  the  rest  of  his  life  to  their 
services  and  several  times  refused  to  return  to  his 
own  country  when  solicited  by  the  superiors  of  his 
order,   and  where  he   had   friends   to    procure   him 


114  THE     CAPTIVES. 

preferment  and  property  to  maintain  him  decently; 
but  he  sacrificed  everything  to  the  duties  of  his 
profession  and  had  determined  to  continue  the  rest 
of  his  life  in  Algiers.  If  I  could  obtain  or  was 
worthy  of  obtaining  an  especial  grace  from  the 
Almighty  God,  I  would  pray  to  be  enabled  to  be  as 
good  a  man  as  Father  Joseph;  for  I  can  scarcely 
believe  there  ever  was  a  better. 

This  institution  is  of  no  other  use  to  the  slaves. 
The  priests  inhabit  a  convenient  house,  have  a  decent 
church  within  its  walls,  which,  before  the  French 
Revolution,  was  well  endowed,  and  generally  their 
refectory  was  well  supplied.  Of  late  years  the  priests 
are  seldom  insulted  in  the  streets,  and  when  they  are, 
it  is  mostly  by  the  lower  class,  and  if  they  can 
identify  the  person  who  insults  them,  and  lodge  a 
regular  complaint,  either  personally  or  through 
medium  of  their  Consuls,  to  the  Dey,  they  are  sure 
to  receive  proper  satisfaction;  and  the  person  who 
insults  them  will  be  severely  punished,  if  they 
require  it,  which  they  seldom  have  done  for  fear  of 
consequences;  as  it  would  be  by  no  means  prudent 
to  irritate  an  ignorant  mob,  who  are  already  too  much 
prejudiced  against  them  and  their  religion. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

CONTINUATION    OF    MY    SITUATION. 

I  have  already  stated  that  when  I  was  sent  from 
the  palace  garden,  my  whole  wardrobe  was  contained 
in  a  small  basket,  and  in  cash  my  funds  did  not 
amount  to  quite  eight  dollars,  two  of  which  I  was 
obliged  to  pay  to  the  Corporals  to  make  interest  to 
procure  me  leave  to  go  to  the  Bagnio  Gallera,  where 
the  rest  of  the  American  prisoners  were,  and  as 
many  as  it  could  hold,  of  the  most  respectable 
prisoners.  I  therefore,  and  my  companions  in 
adversity,  took  leave  of  Bagnio  Belique  for  the 
present.  A  large  ring  of  iron,  which  was  put  on  my 
leg  there,  I  got  changed  for  a  small  one,  and  my 
next  occupation  was  to  look  out  for  quarters.  Some 
of  the  Americans  were  fortunate  enough  to  have  a 
small  room  to  themselves,  but  this  was  so  crowded 
that  it  was  impossible  to  hold  any  more  inhabitants, 
and  most  of  them  slept  on  tables  in  the  taverns. 
We  arrived  so  late  that  all  the  births  in  the  tavern 
where  we  put  up  were  taken,  and  I  was  obliged  to 
spread  my  blanket  on  the  interstice  of  the  bilge  of  a 
large  wine  cask  and  the  wall,  with  my  basket  con- 
taining all  my  worldly  possessions  under  my  head, 
to  serve  for  a  pillow  and  prevent  the  contents  from 


Il6  THE     CAPTIVES. 

being  stolen.  The  weather  being  very  sultry,  the 
stench  of  the  prison,  the  quantity  of  rats  which  were 
continually  running  over  us,  joined  to  myriads  of 
fleas  which  attacked  on  all  sides,  did  not  render  the 
night's  lodging  very  agreeable,  and  I  was  glad  when 
I  was  summoned  to  work  in  the  morning. 

From  this  to  the  month  of  March  1787,  I  con- 
tinued in  nearly  the  same  situation,  working  in  the 
carpenter  shop  in  the  day  time,  occasionally  sent  to 
carry  heavy  loads  to  disarm  the  Cruisers,  load  vessels 
with  wheat,  carry  ballast  on  board  the  Cruisers,  and 
on  Friday,  either  be  sent  to  Bebal  Wed  to  work  at 
the  Magazine,  or  to  the  Ponto  Piscado  to  load  the 
Pontoon  with  heavy  stone  to  throw  at  the  back  of 
the  mole,  to  prevent  the  sea  from  breaking  over  it. 
In  short  every  other  sort  of  labor,  which  the  most 
common  slave  in  the  Regency  was  obliged  to  do; 
but  this  was  not  all,  the  Guardians  or  slave  drivers 
supposing  we  had  money,  would  send  us  to  the  worst 
work,  abuse  us  in  the  worst  manner,  using  the  most 
opprobrious  language,  and  often  giving  us  cuts  with 
their  twisted  rattans,  "en  passant,"  in  order  to  oblige 
us  to  purchase  our  peace  with  them,  which  generally 
could  be  done  for  thirty  or  forty  cents;  but  for  those 
who  had  it  not  to  give,  it  might  as  well  have  been  a 
million.  It  might  well  be  supposed  that  my  treasury 
was  soon  exhausted,  and  that  the  clothes  which  I 
got  in  the  palace,  were  disposed  of  to  supply  my 
most  urgent  wants.  It  is  true,  we  were  allowed 
seven  and  one-half  cents  a  day  for  some  time  from 
our  own  country,  but  that  allowance  was  soon  with- 
drawn from  us,  and  for  years  no  more  notice  was 


CONTINUATION    OF    MY   SITUATION.  II 7 

taken  of  us  than  if  no  such  unfortunate  men  were  in 
existence.  It  may  therefore  well  be  imagined  that 
our  situation  could  not  well  be  worse,  especially  as 
the  plague,  which  had  been  introduced  from  the 
Levant,  began  to  make  its  appearance  in  the  slave 
prisons.  This,  however,  produced  no  mitigation  of 
our  labor — as  long  as  we  live  we  must  work. 

I  continued  in  this  miserable  situation  until  the 
17th  of  March,  1787,  when  the  King  of  Naples 
redeemed  all  his  subjects  who  were  taken  at  sea, 
except  those  who  were  taken  in  the  Galleys  which 
fled  from  Naples.  A  Neapolitan  Frigate  arrived 
with  the  cash  on  board,  and  they  were  permitted  to 
embark  under  a  flag  of  truce.  They  were  about  three 
hundred  in  number,  and  many  of  them  being  em- 
ployed in  the  most  eligible  situations,  many  vacan- 
cies remained  to  be  filled  by  those  unfortunate  men 
who  remained;  among  whom,  my  fellow  prisoner 
and  myself  were  taken  from  the  carpenter's  shop  and 
ordered  to  attend  on  the  Intendant  or  Vikilharche 
of  the  Marine.  There  are  generally  from  six  to 
nine  Christians  in  this  department,  whose  duty  it  is 
to  attend  to  the  Vikilharche  at  meals,  to  take  care 
of  the  stores,  carry  the  keys  for  the  Belique  Bashaw, 
serve  the  oil  and  bread  out  to  the  slaves,  and  in 
general,  whatever  the  Intendant  and  Belique  Bashaw 
order  them  to  do;  but  they  are  not  subject  to  the 
Guardians  nor  to  the  orders  of  any  one  else.  They 
are  well  fed  and  receive  some  emolument  from  the 
Intendant's  visitors,  especially  the  Beys,  Caliphs, 
Alcaides,  Ambassadors,  and  Christian  Consuls,  who 
are  expected  to  put  some  money  into  the  cup  every 


Il8  THE     CAPTIVES. 

time  they  take  coffee  with  him;  and  this  money  is 
divided  among  these  Christians  every  Thursday 
night — and  they  always  have  Friday  to  themselves. 
This  was  no  small  alleviation  from  our  sufferings^ 
especially  as  we  were  nearly  naked;  and  now  we 
received  two  pieces  of  cotton  sufficient  to  make  two 
jackets  and  two  pair  of  trousers,  and  money  to  pay 
for  making  them.  Although  you  are  subject  to  hard 
labor,  sometimes,  in  clearing  out  the  stores,  it  is 
nevertheless  considered  one  of  the  best  situations, 
and  a  great  deal  of  interest  is  made  to  get  there. 

Although  peace  with  Spain  took  place  in  June, 
1785,  still  the  Spaniards  remained  in  captivity.  The 
plague  had  commenced,  and  in  January  there  died 
sixteen  Christian  slaves,  and  in  February  forty  one, 
and  in  March  the  number  was  increasing,  when  the 
Neapolitans  were  redeemed.  The  Spanish  priests 
now  thought  seriously  of  their  captives,  as  they  be- 
came very  refractory  and  blamed  the  priests  for  their 
being  detained  so  long  in  captivity  after  peace  had 
taken  place,  and  even  threatened  their  lives.  They, 
therefore,  with  the  assistance  of  the  Spanish  Am- 
bassador, became  security  to  the  Dey  for  the  ransom 
of  all  the  Spaniards  who  were  taken  at  sea,  to  the 
number  of  about  four  hundred,  and  on  the  19th  of 
March  they  were  embarked  on  board  a  large  Russian 
prize  vessel,  which  was  purchased  for  that  purpose, 
and  soon  sailed  for  Minorca  to  perform  quarantine. 
The  slaves  who  had  deserted  from  Oran,  who  were 
about  one  thousand  of  all  nations,  had  always  ex- 
pected to  have  been  included  in  the  general  redemp- 
tion.    Some  of  these  unfortunate   men  had  been  in 


CONTINUATION    OF    MY   SITUATION.  IIQ 

captivity  for  fifty  years,  and  certainly  had  suffered 
sufficiently  to  have  expiated  any  crimes  which  they 
might  have  committed  in  their  youth,  and  finding 
this  not  so,  all  their  hopes  vanished  and  they  gave 
themselves  up  to  dispair,  threatened  the  priests  and 
Ambassadors  and  all  the  free  subjects  of  Spain  with 
death,  as  being  the  cause  of  their  not  being  included 
in  the  redemption;  and  were  with  difficulty  appeased 
by  the  priests  promising,  in  the  most  solemn  manner, 
to  write  to  the  King  of  Spain  in  their  behalf,  and  to 
the  heads  of  their  order  to  use  their  influence  in  their 
favor.  This  quieted  them  for  the  present;  neverthe- 
less their  dissatisfaction  frequently  led  them  to  acts 
of  violence  and  riot,  and  often  the  priests  were  in 
danger  of  their  lives;  which,  considering  the  class  of 
people  they  had  to  do  with,  is  not  to  be  wondered 
at,  especially  as  the  priests  did  not  fulfill  their  prom- 
ises; for  twelve  years  after  I  wrote  this,  in  1799, 
when  I  touched  at  Algiers,  some  of  those  poor  creat- 
ures were  still  in  captivity.  The  greatest  number 
had  died  of  the  plague,  some  had  been  redeemed, 
and  the  remainder  were  ransomed  sometime  after- 
wards. When  the  Spaniards  who  had  been  redeem- 
ed embarked,  the  scene  was  truly  affecting;  they 
separated  from  their  countrymen,  who  were  left  be- 
hind, with  embraces  and  tears  for  their  speedy  liber- 
ation; they  divided  their  clothes  and  money  v/ith 
them;  some  even  gave  away  their  all;  and  probably 
never  was  generosity  more  conspicuous  or  carried  to 
a  greater  length.  When  the  ship  sailed  she  was  fol- 
lowed by  the  eyes  of  those  poor  captives,  and  when 
she  disappeared  in  the  horizon,  a  universal  groan  was 


120  THE    CAPTIVES. 

heard  from  those  unfortunate  men;  and  they  sunk 
into  despondency,  declaring  that  now  their  last  hope 
of  ever  being  redeemed  had  vanished,  and  they 
cared  not  how  soon  they  were  struck  with  the  plague 
and  terminated  their  existence.  The  plague  still  in- 
creased, notwithstanding  more  than  seven  hundred 
captives  were  redeemed,  which  lessened  the  number 
considerably.  Forty-three  died  this  month  and  one 
hundred  and  five  in  April;  nevertheless,  the  usual 
work  was  carried  on  and  the  labor  being  increased, 
no  doubt  exposed  the  poor  slaves  to  the  miasma  of 
the  infection  more  than  otherwise  they  would  have 
been,  of  which  I  will  take  particular  notice  when  I 
come  to  treat  of  that  dreadful  disease. 

By  the  redemption  of  the  Spaniards,  the  places 
of  the  coffeegie  and  clerk  of  the  Marine  department 
became  vacant.  Giovanni  de  la  Cruz,  a  native  of 
Leghorn,  who  had  been  chief  mate  of  a  large  Leg- 
hornese  ship,  which  I  had  left  at  Boston,  and  who 
was  captured  last  year,  and  with  whom  I  was  ac- 
quainted, was  appointed  to  the  latter  situation  and  I 
was  appointed  to  the  former.  His  duty  was  to  keep 
the  books,  and  mine  to  make  coffee  and  hand  it  to 
the  Intendant  and  his  visitors;  I  likewise  had  the  sup- 
erintendency  of  the  other  slaves  and  was  accounta- 
ble for  their  good  behavior  and  was  obliged  to  re- 
port them  if  they  behaved  improperly. 

The  clerk  of  the  Marine  is  allowed  a  small  room 
in  the  Bagnio  Galera,  gratis.  I  took  up  my  quarters 
with  him,  and  with  the  exception  of  people  dying 
with  the  plague  all  around  us,  our  situation  was  very 
tolerable.     We  were  obliged  to  be  in  the  prison  at 


CONTINUATION    OF    MY   SITUATION.  121 

the  same  hours  as  the  other  slaves  were,  and  to  go 
to  the  Marine  as  soon  as  the  gate  was  opened,  in  or- 
der to  have  the  Intendant's  seat  made  and  coffee 
ready  for  him  on  his  arrival.  On  Fridays,  as  we 
were  confidential  slaves,  we  could  generally  get  leave 
to  go  out  of  town  as  far  as  the  Consul's  country 
seats.  In  May,  one  hundred  and  fourteen  Christian 
slaves  died,  and  in  June,  one  hundred  and  fifty-five 
died,  among  whom  was  my  friend  Giovanni  de  la  Cruz. 
He  lingered  a  few  days,  and  on  the  nth  of  June  de- 
parted this  life,  regretted  by  all  who  knew  him.  He 
was  a  most  amiable  young  man.  During  his  illness 
I  rendered  him  all  the  service  in  my  power  but  to  no 
effect.  When  he  was  struck  with  the  plague,  I  was 
ordered  to  take  charge  of  the  books  of  the  Marine 
department  until  he  died  or  recovered,  and  on  the 
1 2th  I  was  appointed  clerk  of  the  Marine.  Here  I 
remained  until  all  the  people  of  the  Magazine,  the 
Vikilharche  of  the  Marine  excepted,  had  died  and 
been  replaced  three  different  times.  My  former 
ship  mate,  of  whom  I  will  have  occasion  to  mention 
hereafter,  had  been  sent  out  of  the  Magazine  soon 
after  he  was  taken  into  it  for  incapacity,  as  he  was  a 
very  simple  ignorant  lad,  and  could  not  learn  the  du- 
ty exacted  from  him.  The  Belique  Bashaw  died; 
another  was  appointed,  he  died  also;  and  a  Turk,  a 
fisherman  in  the  Turkish  language  (Baluckgee) ,  was 
appointed  in  his  stead.  This  man  had  never  been  in 
any  office  before,  and  was  in  rank  only  a  common 
soldier.  He  was  extremely  ignorant,  poor,  and 
proud,  and  very  morose  in  his  manners,  finding  fault 
without  reason  and  not  over  honest.     Several  things 


122  THE    CAPTIVES. 

were  missing  from  the  stores,  but  no  person  dare  ac- 
cuse him  of  purloining  them;  besides  they  wanted 
proof.  My  situation  was  then  rendered  very  un- 
pleasant. I  remained,  however,  at  my  post  until 
April,  1788,  when  one  Thursday,  having  made  out  a 
(Tischera)  or  account  of  the  money  to  be  delivered 
to  the  treasury  that  day  by  the  Belique  Bashaw,  it 
amounted  to  a  considerable  sum  more  than  he  had 
in  his  possession.  He  first  tried  to  pursuade  me  that 
I  had  made  some  mistake,  and  requested  me  to  alter 
it  without  making  any  noise.  This  I  positively  re- 
fused to  do  and  read  to  him  all  the  items  of  the 
money  he  had  received,  and  what  he  had  paid  away. 
He  then  endeavored  to  throw  the  blame  on  the 
Christian  slaves,  saying  that  they  must  have  taken 
the  money  out  of  his  drawer,  although  he  had  always 
kept  the  key  himself.  This  produced  altercation, 
when  he  complained  to  the  Vikilharche,  saying  that 
I  had  accused  him  of  embezzlement  and  that  either 
he  or  I  must  leave  the  Marine.  The  Vikilharche  en- 
deavored to  pacify  him,  but  without  effect;  and  the 
policy  of  these  people  being  never  to  take  part  with 
a  Christian  against  one  of  themselves,  especially  if 
he  is  a  Turk  or  a  soldier,  accasioned  him  to  order  me 
to  leave  the  Marine  and  remain  in  my  tavern,  de- 
claring that  he  never  would  appoint  another  clerk  in 
my  place.  This  promise  he  kept,  and  the  duties  of 
my  place  were  done  by  the  Turkish  clerk,  until  the 
Belique  Bashaw  was  removed,  which  happened  short- 
ly after;  and  frequently  I  have  met  him  with  his 
cane  and  basket  coming,  after  this  time,  from  fishing. 
I  remained  in  the  tavern   some  time  when,  in  conse- 


CONTINUATION    OF    MY    SITUATION.  1 23 

quence  of  the  great  mortality  among  the  slaves,  I 
was  appointed  clerk  of  the  Bagnio  Galera,  three 
clerks  having  died  in  less  than  one  month.  The  du- 
ty of  this  station  was  to  muster  the  slaves  in  the 
prison  every  evening,  to  report  when  any  died  or 
were  taken  sick,  to  see  their  black  bread  served  out 
to  them,  and  to  go  to  the  Marine  every  morning, 
and  on  Friday,  to  the  outworks  to  muster  the  slaves, 
to  call  their  names  over,  and  to  report  them  when 
anywhere  missing;  but  as  several  of  the  clerks  of  the 
sheep  skins  and  charcoal  died  with  the  plague,  I  was 
frequently  obliged  to  do  this  duty,  which  kept  me 
constantly  employed,  and  probably  was  conducive 
to  my  health  and  may  have  been  the  means,  under 
Divine  Providence,  of  my  being  alive  at  the  present 
moment. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

This  morning  at  5  A.  m.,  May  17,  1788,  the 
Piratical  flag  was  displayed  on  the  Marine  fortifica- 
tions. The  Christian  vessels  then  in  Port  paid  the 
usual  compliments  on  such  occasions  by  hoisting 
their  colors.  The  whole  Divan  of  Algiers,  the  Dey 
excepted,  went  out  to  receive  the  Bey  or  Sheik  of 
Constantine,  and  to  accompany  him  to  the  Dey's 
palace,  as  he  had  pitched  his  tents  in  the  rebata  or 
plain  the  night  before.  These  plains  are  distant  four 
miles  from  the  Gate  of  Bebazon.  The  Laga  or 
commander-in-chief  of  all  the  forces  of  Algiers,  and 
superintendent  of  everything  that  is  transacted 
within  the  Regency  of  Algiers,  this  city  excepted, 
went  out  the  evening  before  in  order  to  confer  with 
him  on  the  state  of  the  Dey's  cabinet  and  other 
important  affairs.  At  6  A.  m.  the  Bey  was  met  by  the 
Divan,  all  mounted  on  fine  Arabian  coursers,  richly 
caparisoned,  and  after  the  usual  ceremonies  were 
paid,  they  proceeded  towards  the  city  in  the  follow- 
ing order:  First,  the  order  of  Ipahias  with  the  Bey's 
guards,  about  thirty  in  number;  second,  fifty  mules 
loaded  with  money,  each  mule  carrying  two  thousand 
pataca  gordas,  and  forty-five  Barbarian  horses;  this 
is  what  is  customary  to  pay  the  Regency  every  three 
years,  besides  his  Caliph  is  obliged  to  bring  the  half 


CONTINUATION    OF    MY    SITUATION.  1 25 

of  that  sum  every  six  months;  next  follows  six  mules 
loaded  with  gold  to  be  distributed  to  the  Dey  and 
Divan  as  presents,  and  amounted  to  24,000  sequins 
— this  was  sent  to  the  Dey's  house.  Next  follows 
*Hassan  Bashaw,  the  late  Bey  of  Constantine's  son, 
with  seven  mule  loads  of  money,  each  mule  carrying 
2,000  potaca  gordas,  this  is  a  present  to  the  Regency, 
Hassan  Bashaw  being  under  no  obligation  to  bring 
this  money,  has  done  it  more  out  of  policy  to 
influence  the  Dey  in  his  favor,  than  any  particular 
regard  he  has  for  his  person  or  the  welfare  of  the 
Regency.  Next  followed  several  horses  richly 
caparisoned,  designed  for  presents  to  the  great  men, 
attended  by  many  of  the  Bey's  guards  and  Ipahias. 
The  next  that  presented  itself  to  our  view  was  seven 
stand  of  colors,  carried  by  seven  lanyiacgies  on 
horseback,  a  band  of  Moorish  music,  three  holy  fools 
or  Maraboots,  proclaiming  the  Bey's  arrival,  and 
then  the  Dey's  Hampa  or  body  guards  ridiculously 
dressed  in  brass  caps  and  feathers,  to  make  them 
appear  more  foolish;  then  followed  the  Bey,  riding 
on  the  Hasnagi's  left  side,  behind  them  the  Laga 
and  Hodge  of  Carallos  or  clerk  of  the  cattle  belong- 
ing to  the  Regency,  which  is  a  birth  of  the  greatest 
consequence,  and  the  fourth  of  the  Divan;  behind 
them  came  the  Vikilhadge  or  Intendant  of  the 
Marine,  followed  by  a  number  of  others  of  inferior 
rank. 


*Note— The  above  mentioned  Hassan  Bashaw  is  married  to  Hadgi 
Mansour's  daughter,  which,  joined, to  the  lands  he  has  or  governs,  makes 
him  a  person  of  the  greatest  consequence.  The  land  that  he  enjoys  is 
allotted  to  him  by  the  Regency  of  Algiers  as  his  father  was  a  fortunate  Bey, 
which  very  seldom  happens. 


126  THE    CAPTIVES. 

At  7  A.  M.,  entered  the  Gate  of  Bebazon  and  were 
saluted  by  all  the  Marine  fortifications,  and  likewise 
by  all  the  batteries  which  they  passed  before  they 
entered  the  city.  On  the  Bey's  arrival  at  the  palace, 
he  was  disarmed  for  fear  of  his  proving  disaffected 
and  try  to  assassinate  the  Dey.  Then  he  and  the 
Hasnagi  rode  into  the  palace  yard,  and  alighted  in 
the  presence  of  the  Dey;  the  other  great  men 
alighted  outside  of  the  palace  gate.  On  his  paying 
his  respects  to  the  Dey,  he  kisses  his  hand,  sits  down 
opposite  him,  discourses  about  an  hour,  drinks  a 
dish  of  coffee,  and  fills  the  cup  with  manboobs. 
This  is  the  perquisite  of  the  Christian  slaves  in  the 
palace,  who  seldom  fail  to  bring  the  largest  cup  they 
can  get,  in  order  for  the  Bey  to  fill  it.  He  then 
kisses  the  Belique  or  Dey's  hand,  and  is  attended  by 
the  Mezour  and  Alcaide  in  ta  Zubil  and  several 
others,  and  conducted  to  his  own  palace.  The  Divan 
then  sits,  and  if  his  conduct  is  approved,  the  caftan 
is  sent  to  him  by  the  Dey's  first  Christian  servant 
that  attends  his  own  person,  if  not  it  is  not  sent,  and 
the  next  time  he  comes  out  of  his  own  house,  to  go 
to  the  Dey's  palace,  he  is  seized  and  led  to  the  Aga 
d'  Bastom's  prison  and  choked  immediately,  without 
a  trial,  as  delays  may  prove  dangerous.  If  the  Bey's 
conduct  is  approved,  the  caftan  or  robe  of  honor  is 
sent  to  him,  and  now  he  is  convinced  that  his  con- 
duct is  approved  of  by  the  Dey  and  Divan,  and  that 
he  has  nothing  to  fear  from  that  quarter.  During 
the  Bey's  stay  here,  which  is  eight  days,  he  generally 
visits  the  Dey  twice  a  day — Tuesdays  and  Fridays 
excepted.     With  the  Bey  came  seventeen  Christian 


CONTINUATION    OF    MY    SITUATION.  12/ 

slaves,  his  attendants,  most  part  Genoese  and 
Neapolitan — likewise  a  free  surgeon.  He  is  a  young 
man,  his  name  is  Jean  Gai.  He  is  a  relative  of  Mons.. 
Gimon,  French  negotiator  here;  has  been  with  the 
Bey  nine  years,  where  he  makes  a  considerable  sum 
annually,  and  is  a  great  favorite  of  the  Bey's.  The 
Bey  has  brought  with  him  eleven  desperados  that 
have  renegaded  their  faith,  as  they  despaired  of  ever 
being  redeemed,  they  being  deserters  from  a  Spanish 
garrison  on  this  coast,  eighty  leagues  to  the  west  of 
Algiers.  The  Bey  of  Constantine  is  the  richest  of 
the  three  Beys,  and  has  an  unbounded  prerogative. 
He  keeps  the  Tunisians  under  great  subjection,  and 
often  collects  taxes  in  their  territories  and  demands 
large  sums  of  money  from  them  under  pretense  of 
using  it  for  the  good  of  the  commonweal;  but  in 
reality  is  used  to  his  own  emolument.  The  Tunisians 
are  obliged  to  put  up  with  this  unjust  treatment,  as 
they  are  too  well  acquainted  with  their  own  inferiority 
and  weakness  to  offer  to  oppose  him.  When  the 
Bey  is  in  his  own  Province,  he  resides  in  a  city  of 
the  same  name  where  he  lives  in  great  splendor. 
Eight  days  is  the  limited  time  for  his  stay  here.  If 
he  stays  any  longer,  he  incurs  the  Dey's  displeasure. 
When  he  leaves  Algiers,  he  returns  to  the  Eastern 
Province  pretty  well  stripped  of  his  ill  acquired 
wealth.  He  commences  very  soon  to  plunder  the 
unfortunate  and  wretched  Arabs,  and  by  that  means 
as  soon  as  possible  make  up  his  losses  sustained 
during  his  short  stay  at  Algiers,  at  the  cost  of  those 
miserable  wretches  whom  Almighty  Providence  has 
pleased  to  place  under  his  jurisdiction  and  govern- 


128  THE    CAPTIVES. 

ment.  The  Bey,  on  his  arrival  at  Algiers,  was 
accompanied  by  Mansour  Sheriffe,  Sheik  and  Grand 
Maraboot  or  Governor,  both  spiritual  and  corporeal, 
of  a  very  numerous  tribe  of  Arabs,  situated  near  the 
Province  of  Constantine,  named  Mahomed  Felicie, 
and  other  tribes,  as  far  as  Demir  Capi  or  the  Iron 
Gate,  own  him  for  their  law  giver;  so  that  he  is  a 
very  powerful,  rich  Moor. 

Demir  Capi  is  a  very  narrow  passage  in  the 
mountains  of  Atlas,  defended  by  and  in  possession 
of  the  Mountain  Arabs,  and  is  the  only  part  that  this 
mountain  is  penetrable  for  many  days'  journey,  so 
that  in  case  of  a  misunderstanding  between  the 
Maraboot  and  the  Bey  of  Constantine,  or  the  Regen- 
cy of  Algiers,  he  has  it  in  his  power  to  influence  the 
Mountain  Arabs  in  prejudice  of  said  Regency,  and 
possibly  involve  them  in  a  disagreeable  contest, 
which  could  not  be  remedied  by  any  other  means 
than  the  force  of  arms,  which  would  be  the  means 
of  taking  much  blood  on  both  sides;  and  would  hin- 
der the  Turks  from  reaping  any  benefit  from  him  or 
his  vast  territories;  and  so  much  is  this  great  Mara- 
boot respected,  in  his  own  dominions,  that  he  may 
be  with  propriety  styled  the  Arabian  Pope,  as  no 
person  dare  disobey  him  under  pain  of  everlasting 
punishment.  For  these  and  other  political  reasons 
the  Dey  and  Divan  thought  proper  to  treat  Hadgi 
Mansoure  with  the  same  respect  as  they  did  the  Bey, 
and  if  possible  to  give  him  no  just  cause  of  com- 
plaint. 

May  24,  1788 — This  day  the  Grand  Maraboot, 
Hassan  Bashaw,  the  Bey  of  Constantine,  Prime  Min- 


CONTINUATION    OF    MY    SITUATION.  1 29 

ister,  and  other  officers  of  tht^  state,  being  in  pres- 
ence of  the  Dey,  asked  the  Bey  of  Constantine  for  a 
certain  sum  of  money,  sent  as  a  compliment  to  him 
by  the  Bey  of  Tunis,  and  left  in  his  hands  by  Hadgi 
Mansour,  as  the  Bey  of  Tunis  gave  it  to  said  Mara- 
boot  on  his  passing  through  Tunis  on  his  return  from 
Mecca.  That  the  letters  from  the  Bey  had  arrived 
some  time  but  that  he  had  heard  nothing  of  the 
money;  so  he  had  supposed  that  the  Bey  of  Con- 
stantine had  taken  care  of  it  until  he  came  to  Algiers 
himself,  and  that  now  was  the  proper  time  to  deliver 
it.  The  Bey  of  Constantine  seemed  quite  surprised 
and  solemnly  declared  that  he  had  no  money  nor 
any  thing  else  from  Hadgi  Mansour  when  he  re- 
turned from  the  Holy  Temple  of  Mecca,  nor  even  a 
letter  from  the  Bey  of  Tunis.  Hadgi  Mansour  was 
called  and  examined  whether  he  had  received  the 
above  mentioned  money.  He  frankly  owned  he  had, 
but  that,  through  the  multiplicity  of  business,  he  had 
to  transact  on  his  return  from  Mecca,  that  he  had 
entirely  forgotten, the  sum  thai  he  had  brought  for 
the  Bey,  and  if  they  had  not  put  him  in  mind  of  it, 
probably,  said  he,  I  might  never  have  remembered 
it.  He  then  hoped  the  Dey  and  Bey  of  Constantine 
might  excuse  him  for  his  mistake  was  made  through 
negligence,  and  not  through  any  dishonest  intentions 
to  embezzle  another  man's  property.  This  was 
doubted  by  the  Dey,  and  the  Bey  of  Constantine 
having  long  been  jealous  of  young  Hassan  on  ac- 
count of  the  peculiar  respect  shown  him  by  the  Di- 
van of  Algiers,  and  likewise  the  soldiery  of  his  own 
province,  thought  this  a  favorable  opportunity  to 


130  THE    CAPTIVES. 

lodge  complaints  against  the  Maraboot,  and  more 
especially  against  Hassan  Bashaw,  saying  that  he 
had  assumed  a  greater  prerogative  than  his  birth  en- 
titled him  to,  and  for  that  reason,  as  he  was  Bey  or 
Governor  of  Constantine,  he  could  by  no  means  al- 
low Hassan  Bashaw  to  have  the  superiority  over  him 
in  governing  his  own  Province,  and  thought  that 
Hassan  had  acted  very  impudently  in  making  him- 
self busy  in  affairs  so  important  as  the  government 
of  Constantine;  and  no  doubt  the  Regency  of  Algiers, 
or  at  least  the  Hasnagi,  had  a  greater  regard  for 
Hassan  than  he  had  for  the  Bey,  and  employed 
Hassan  as  a  controller  of  the  Bey's  official  duty, 
which  made  the  Bey  more  desirious  that  he  should 
be  removed. 

The  Hasnagi  espoused  Hassan's  cause  and  told 
the  Bey  in  presence  of  the  Dey  of  Algiers,  that 
using  Hassan  in  an  ungenteel  manner  was  the  same 
as  using  him  ill.  Hassan  alledged  that  he  thought 
that  his  life  was  in  danger,  but  hoped  that  the 
Hasnagi  would  give  him  some  assurance  of  his  pro- 
tection. The  Hasnagi  assured  him  that  he  would 
take  all  possible  means  for  preventing  the  said  Bey 
from  molesting  him,  or  any  of  his  connections  or 
property.  The  Bey  on  his  part  was  greatly  surprised 
at  Hassan  finding  such  powerful  protection,  and 
contaminated  the  Prime  Minister  in  the  presence  of 
the  Dey.  A  warm  debate  ensued,  which  came  to  a 
great  height.  The  Dey  and  remaining  part  of  the 
Divan  interfered  to  try  to  adjust  matters  as  amicably 
as  possible,  and  if  possible  to  appease  the  rising 
storm.     It  is  remarkable  that  the  Dey  sided  rather 


CONTINUATION    OF    MY    SITUATION.    '  I3I 

more  with  the  Bey  than  he  did  with  his  Prime 
Minister.  On  the  Bey's  departure  from  Algiers  he 
received  great  honors  from  the  Dey,  besides  many 
valuable  psesents,  among  which  were  two  Christian 
slaves.  Most  of  thegreat  men,  the  Hasnagi excepted, 
made  him  a  present  of  an  unfortunate  captive,  besides 
other  valuable  effects.  Thus  assured  of  his  conduct 
being  approved,  he  returned  to  the  government  of 
his  province,  leaving  Hassan  in  Algiers  by  the 
Hasnagi's  order. 

Hadgi  Mansour,  his  father-in-law,  returned  to  his 
mountain  Arabs  to  forward  the  money  presented  by 
the  Bey  of  Tunis  to  the  Dey  with  all  possible  expe- 
dition. This  present  which  was  to  be  laid  out  by  the 
Dey  for  the  purpose  of  relieving  the  distressed  and 
other  charitable  uses,  is  reported  to  amount  to  40.000 
manboobs.  May  25,  1788,  Hassan  Bashaw  presented 
the  Hasnagi  with  a  purse  of  20.000  manboobs, 
which  made  the  Hasnagi  exert  himself  with 
the  Dey  and  Divan,  and  in  return  made  Hassan  a 
present  of  a  much  grander  Caftan  than  the  Bey  had 
received  from  the  Dey,  adding  that  he  should  soon 
have  it  in  his  power  to  befriend  him  effectually. 
Hassan  immediately  fell  on  his  knees  to  embrace 
Hasnagi's  feet,  but  was  prevented  by  the  Prime 
Minister,  who  embraced  him  with  great  tenderness 
and  showed  him  every  mark  of  respect  and  esteem. 

Monday,  May  26,  1788.  This  morning  the 
Hasnagi,  as  is  customary,  came  to  the  palace  door 
and  sat  on  the  outside  until  the  Porte  was  opened, 
between  the  hours  of  4  and  5  a.  m.,  accompanied  by 
the  Laga  and   Hodge  of  Caballos.     The  Bashaw,  as 


132  THE     CAPTIVES. 

is  customary,  came  to  pay  his  respects  and  the 
Hasnagi  offered  him  his  hand  to  kiss,  the  Bashaw 
abruptly  pushed  his  hand  away,  seized  him  and  with 
the  help  of  two  more  Chauses,  disarmed  him,  stripped 
him  of  his  Turban  and  Burnuse,  and  hurried  him 
away  to  the  Laga.  The  reason  he  was  so  used  the 
Laga  said  he  knew  not;  but  that  it  was  the  Dey's 
orders  and  must  be  obeyed.  As  the  Chaouxer  dragged 
him  under  the  Dey's  window  he  called  "Ally,  Ally! 
What  have  I  done?  Is  there  no  person  who  will 
plead  my  cause  or  interceed  for  me  in  this  moment 
of  impending  danger?  O!  Ally,  my  wife,  my 
children,  don't  let  them  suffer."  The  Laga  assured 
him  he  would  befriend  him  all  that  lay  in  his  power 
while  he  lived. 

This  great  unfortunate  man,  with  haste,  was  con- 
ducted to  the  place  of  execution.  The  first  cord 
that  was  used  was  by  some  means  broken  when  he 
was  about  half  dead,  upon  which  another  was 
brought  which  effectually  finished  this  deed  of 
atrocity.  This  ambitious  man  died  pitied  by  all,  but 
lamented  by  none  but  the  Turks  of  his  own  party. 

This  once  great  and  respected  man  was  carried  by 
four  Pisqueras  (inferior  Moors)  to  his  own  new 
house,  and  laid  out  in  the  porch,  and  no  person  was 
let  to  visit  him  under  pain  of  disobedience  to  the 
Dey's  orders.  His  house  then  was  shut  up,  and  no 
person  allowed  to  enter  without  the  Dey's  orders. 
The  family  of  the  deceased  being  at  the  garden  and 
hearing  of  the  unhappy  event,  made  ready  to  come 
to  town,  but  were  prevented  by  the  guards,  who  were 
sent  from  town  to  take  care  that  none  of  the  deceased's 


CONTINUATION    OF    MY   SITUATION.  1 33 

property  should  be  taken  by  any  of  his  friends. 
About  two  hours  afterwards,  the  wife  of  this 
unfortunate  statesman  went  on  the  terrace  of  the 
house  and  would  have  thrown  herself  down,  had  she 
not  been  prevented  by  one  of  her  attendants.  She 
requested,  in  a  very  pathetic  manner,  to  have  one 
more  view  of  her  dead  lord  before  his  remains  were 
interred.  This  request  was  granted,  she  immediately 
went  to  the  house  where  her  husband's  corpse  was 
laid;  but  alas!  no  entrance  was  for  her;  but  she 
immediately  was  ordered  from  the  door  in  a  rough 
manner  by  the  guard,  which  set  the  unhappy  woman 
nearly  distracted. 

At  2  p.  M.  was  carried  the  corpse  of  this  once 
dreaded  Minister,  attended  by  not  one  Turk — as  pre- 
vious to  his  interment  the  Dey  gave  orders  for  not 
a  Turk,  under  penalty  of  death,  to  attend  his  funeral. 
He  was  buried  at  Bebal  Wed  in  his  own  burying 
ground,  without  the  least  ceremony,  leaving  his  wife 
and  children  to  bewail  his  untimely  fate. 

Hassan  Bashaw  having  now  lost  his  friend,  he 
deemed  it  the  most  prudent  step  to  take  refuge  in 
the  Algerine  Maraboot  Sanctuary,  until  he  saw  how 
things  turned  out.  The  Dey  immediately  sent  some 
of  his  officers  to  seize  Hassan's  house  and  property 
for  the  good  of  the  Regency,  and  to  place  guards  at 
the  Maraboot  Sanctuary  in  order  to  let  no  sort  of 
provisions  enter  for  his  subsistence,  and  if  possible, 
starve  him  out  of  his  Holy  Refuge.  Bobba  Osman, 
the  late  Hasnagi's  brother,  likewise  absconded  into 
some  of  his  friends  houses,  in  order  to  escape  the 
impending  danger.     Hard  was  Hassan  Bashaw's  lot, 


134  THE    CAPTIVES. 

far  distant  from  any  of  his  friends  or  connections,  as 
Hadgi  Mansour  had  returned  to  his  native  soil 
among  the  numerous  tribes  of  Arabs  and  Jebils. 
On  the  arrival  of  the  Bey  of  Constantine  in  his  own 
Province,  the  first  step  that  the  Bey  took  was  to 
plunder  Hassan's  house;  then  seize  all  his  property. 
This  was  the  first  that  Hadgi  Mansour  had  heard 
from  his  son-in-law  since  his  departure  from  Algiers. 
He  accordingly  informed  his  vassals  of  all  that  had 
happened,  and  after  mature  deliberations,  a  resolu- 
tion was  taken  to  write  to  the  Dey  of  Algiers,  and 
in  case  young  Hassan  was  not  immediately  restored 
to  liberty,  and  his  property  returned,  both  in  Algiers 
and  Constantine,  to  declare  perpetual  war  against 
the  Dey,  Divan  and  Turks  in  general  of  this  Regency. 
Therefore  Siddi  Mansour  made  all  the  preparations 
for  so  great  an  undertaking.  On  the  arrival  of  this 
letter  a  general  Divan  was  called  by  the  Dey,  in 
order  to  take  the  purport  of  this  letter  into  serious 
consideration,  and  after  many  debates  it  was 
unanimously  resolved,  that  young  Hassan  should 
be  released,  his  property  restored  to  him  with  every 
loss  made  good,  and  orders  should  be  sent  previous 
to  his  leaving  Algiers  to  the  Bey  of  Constantine  to 
return  to  him  his  property,  and  let  him  enjoy  his 
prerogative  as  formally  without  the  least  molesta- 
tion. This  shows  how  requisite  it  is  for  the  Dey  and 
Divan  of  Algiers  to  pay  proper  attention  to  Hadgi 
Mansour,  Sheik  and  Grand  Maraboot  of  the  moun- 
tain Arabs. 

May  26,  1788.     This  day  the  Bay  was  opened  in 
the  palace   for  the  Turkish   soldiers  Siddi   Hassan, 


CONTINUATION    OF    MY   SITUATION.  I35 

Vikilhadge  of  the  Marine,  and  son-in-law  of  the  late 
Hasnagi  was  appointed  in  his  father-in-law's  room 
to  officiate  as  Hasnagi.  He  accordingly  exercised 
himself  in  the  functions  of  his  office,  to  the  satisfac- 
tion of  all,  but  those  of  the  late  Hasnagi's  party, 
as  by  the  precipitate  death  of  this  great  man,  all  his 
designs  were  frustrated.  Ciddi,  the  present  Prime 
Minister  and  treasurer  of  the  Regency,  had  been 
formerly  Casnador  or  the  Dey's  confidential  servant, 
since  which  period,  he  had  been  several  years  Vikil- 
hadge of  the  Marine,  wherein  he  has  obtained  many 
advantages  for  the  Regency  from  different  nations, 
especially  the  making  so  advantageous  a  peace  with 
Spain,  on  the  part  of  the  Algerines,  and  so  dishon- 
orable to  his  Catholic  Majesty.  This  affair  was 
entirely  owing  to  him,  as  some  years  ago  he  was 
sent  to  Constantinople,  in  the  character  of  an 
Ambassador,  in  order  to  transact  some  affairs  con- 
cerning the  Regency  with  the  Grand  Vizir;  but,  on 
his  return  on  board  a  French  vessel  loaded  with 
ammunition  and  warlike  stores,  he  was  captured  by  a 
Frigate  belonging  to  his  Catholic  Majesty,  and 
carried  into  Carthagena,  where  he  was  detained 
sometime.  The  Algerines,  on  their  part,  insisted 
that  the  French  must  be  answerable  for  Ciddi  Has- 
san and  all  the  warlike  stores,  as  they  were  taken  on 
board  a  French  vessel.  Therefore  after  many 
applications  being  made  from  the  court  of  France, 
the  Spaniards  were  induced  to  clear  Siddi  Hassan, 
and  send  both  ships  and  cargo  to  Algiers,  after 
making  him  several  valuable  presents  and  using  him 
in  the  most  gentle  manner  possible,  and  showing 
him  every  mark  of  distinction  requisite  to  show  a 
person  of  his  rank. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

The  clerk  of  the  Bagnio  Gallera  is  allowed  to  keep 
a  tavern  in  the  prison,  and  only  pays  half  duty  to  the 
Regency.  This,  with  my  having  purchased  the  Mad 
House  tavern,  will  account  for  my  having  money  at 
my  command,  and  when  my  fellow  sufferers  had 
none,  and  I  believe  those  who  survive  will  do  me 
the  justice  to  acknowledge,  that  they  never  wanted 
a  good  meal  while  I  had  it  in  my  power  to  give  it  to 
them;  that  they  were  attended  in  the  hospital  when 
sick,  and  that  those  who  died  were  buried  in  a 
decent  coffin  at  my  expense.  Nay,  never  was  any 
American  buried  without  my  attending  them  to  the 
grave,  reading  prayers  over  them,  and  remaining 
until  they  were  decently  covered.  This  was  particu- 
larly taken  notice  of  by  the  Consuls  and  Catholic 
priests.  The  plague  raged  all  this  year;  neverthe- 
less I  never  enjoyed  better  health,  and  I  frequently 
stopped  at  the  gates  of  the  city  to  count  the  dead  as 
they  were  carried  out,  not  knowing  nor  indeed  car- 
ing when  my  time  should  come.  In  1789  the  plague 
subsided,  although  it  never  was  thoroughly  exter- 
minated, as  no  pains  were  taken  to  erradicate  it.  In 
this  year  only  nineteen  Christians  died  of  all  dis- 
orders, and  the  same  number  the  next  year.  In  1791 
only  fifteen  Christians  died,   and  in   1792  seventeen, 


CONTINUATION    OF    MY    SITUATION.  1 37 

but  in  1793  the  plague  broke  out  again  and  contin- 
ued, with  the  intermission  of  the  year  1795,  when 
only  thirty-one  Christian  slaves  died,  until  1796,  but 
I  am  persuaded  that  the  city  and  environs  v/ere 
never  clear  of  the  contagion,  as  it  raged  again  and 
carried  off  several  of  our  countrymen  who  were  cap- 
tives, of  whom  I  will  make  mention  when  I  come  to 
treat  of  that  terrible  disorder.  From  1788  to  1791, 
three  years,  I  was  employed  as  above  stated,  except 
about  six  months  that  I  was  in  Dr.  Werner's  office 
to  make  out  accounts.  I  ate  at  his  table,  but  as  I 
had  money  enough  to  serve  all  my  wants,  I  was 
entirely  independent  of  him  until  I  closed  all  his 
accounts.  He  treated  me  tolerably  well  but  having 
no  further  use  for  my  services,  he  changed  his  mind 
and  manner  of  treatment,  making  use  of  improper 
language,  and  pretending  that  I  should  not  go  out 
of  his  house  without  his  leave,  I  therefore  asked 
him  to  make  out  his  account  for  my  board,  which  he 
refused  to  do,  and  I  retired  to  my  room  in  the 
Bagnio  Gallera,  which  I  had  rented  to  some  of  the 
captives  during  my  absence.  I  was  likewise  one 
week  at  Mr.  Logic's  house,  while  he  was  out  of  town, 
this  was  occasioned  by  Capt.  O'Brien,  who  had  lived 
there  for  considerable  time,  being  sent  to  the  Marine 
to  make  sails  for  the  Crusiers,  and  the  Consul  re- 
quested me  to  take  care  of  his  house  until  he  could 
get  him  back  again.  Capt.  O'Brien  had  been  through 
his  whole  captivity  in  one  Counsul's  house  or  an- 
other, except  called  occasionally  to  make  or  mend 
old  sails  for  the  Algerine  Crusiers,  and  once  that  he 
was  sent  to  hard  labor  and  put  on  board  the  Panton 


138  THE     CAPTIVES. 

Grand  to  cleanse  the  mold  where  he  was  kept  some 
weeks  during  which  time,  however,  I  furnished  him 
with  a  good  dinner  and  a  bottle  of  wine  daily  from 
my  tavern,  and  as  the  guardian,  Monto  Negro,  had 
no  objection  to  a  glass  of  wine  himself,  an  extra  one 
was  sent  to  him  by  which  Capt.  O'Brien  was  treated 
very  kindly,  and  only  made  to  work  under  the  eyes 
of  the  Vikilharche  of  the  Marine,  who  was  offended 
with  him  or  rather  was  offended  with  the  British 
Consul,  and  took  this  opportunity  to  revenge  him- 
self upon  one  of  his  dependents,  as  he  could  not 
upon  the  Consul  himself.  Little  alteration  took 
place  in  my  situation  until  the  arrival  of  the  crews 
of  the  American  vessels  in  October  1793.  Some- 
times I  was  employed  as  before  mentioned  and  at 
other  times  I  remained  in  my  room  at  the  Bagnio 
Gallera.  I  owned  the  Mad  House  tavern  and  half  a 
tavern  in  the  Bagnio  Gallera,  and  another  in  Bagnio 
Liddi  Hamuda,  these  were  kept  by  Christian  slaves, 
who  paid  me  so  much  per  pipe  for  wine  and  brandy. 
This  gave  me  a  profit  sufficient  for  all  my  purposes, 
and  an  ovcr-plus  to  serve  the  immediate  wants  of 
my  unfortunate  fellow  sufferers  taken  in  1785,  who 
had  been  a  great  part  of  the  time  without  any  assist- 
ance whatever  from  their  country.  Some  of  them 
had  been  at  hard  labor  all  the  time,  until  their  num- 
bers were  considerably  reduced  by  the  plague  and 
hard  usage,  and  at  no  time  had  they  more  than 
seven  and  a  half  cents  allowed  them  per  day  to  find 
them  both  food  and  raiment,  and  had  it  not  pleased 
God  to  have  placed  me  in  a  situation  to  have  as- 
sisted them,  they  would  certainly  have   been  worse 


CONTINUATION    OF    MY   SITUATION.  1 39 

off.  Those  who  were  in  Dey's  palace,  likewise  gave 
them  temporary  assistance  according  to  their  means. 
People  in  our  situation  are  generally  liberal  to  each 
other.  One  probable  reason,  which  might  prevent 
them  from  hoarding,  was  the  consideration  that  the 
plague  was  carrying  off  great  numbers;  that  the 
Regency  took  possession  of  all  the  property 
belonging  to  the  deceased,  even  their  tattered  gar- 
ments and  blankets,  if  they  had  any,  and  as  we  did 
not  know  when  it. would  be  our  turn  to  die,  we  set 
no  great  value  upon  money,  and  made  a  merit  of  as- 
sisting our  unfortunate  brother  sufferers,  who  were 
not  in  as  good  a  situation  as  ourselves.  Had  we  not 
been  afraid  of  dying,  I  think  it  is  likely  enough  that 
we  would  have  been  less  liberal  or  at  least  more 
careful. 

It  must  not,  however,  be  supposed  that  notwith- 
standing I  was  much  better  off  than  many  of  my 
fellow  prisoners,  that  I  was  not  exposed  to  many 
sentimental  afflictions.  The  Turkish  Guardians  fre- 
quently levied  contributions  on  me  on  various  false 
pretenses.  The  Paga  Lunas  were  sometimes  called 
to  perform  extra  work  on  Fridays,  and  on  any 
emergency  such  as  fittting  out  Crusiers,  covering  in 
the  waterworks  at  Bebazoon,  clearing  the  Marine 
and  fortifications,  when  any  hostile  armament  was 
reported  to  be  destined  against  Algiers,  clearing 
away  the  rubbish  of  old  houses,  which  were  thrown 
down  to  augment  the  Dey's  palace,  discharging 
stores  from  the  vessels  of  tributary  nations,  loading 
Christian  vessels  with  wheat  and  barley,  and  in 
general  everything  that  was  an  extra  addition  to  the 


140  THE    CAPTIVES. 

ordinary  routine  of  duty  from  which  the  other  slaves, 
whose  numbers  were  greatly  reduced  by  the  redemp- 
tion of  the  Neapolitan  and  Spanish  slaves,  and  more 
by  the  dreadful  plague,  could  not  be  spared,  which 
occasioned  frequently  all  the  slaves,  even  those  who 
were  in  the  Consuls'  houses,  to  be  called  to  labor  for 
a  few  days  at  a  time.  Many  by  bribing  the  guardi- 
ans would  get  clear  or  not  be  forced  to  work  hard; 
this  would  make  the  labor  come  harder  on  those 
who  had  nothing  to  give,  and  consequently  create 
discontent,  which  was  by  no  means  to  be  won- 
dered at;  and  would  at  times  prevent  the  Guard- 
ians from  showing  lenity  to  any  person  what- 
ever, for  fear  those  who  were  not  favored  would 
complain  to  their  superiors.  In  these  several 
instances  I  suffered  very  much  by  accident.  The 
first  time  I  was  standing  by  the  Mad  House  tavern 
door,  which  belonged  to  me,  when  two  Turks 
quarreled  about  a  woman,  one  of  the  Turks  was  in 
the  window  of  a  house  opposite,  the  other  standing 
close  by  me,  whose  name  was  Hassan  Chioux,  said 
something  which  exasperated  the  one  at  the  window 
to  such  a  degree  that  he  opened  his  door  and  shot 
Hassan  through  the  thigh  and  with  his  attagan  run 
him  through  the  body  without  offering  me  the  least 
injury.  Hassan  fell  down  dead  into  the  tavern,  and 
the  pistol  wounded  another  Turk  in  the  foot,  who 
was  standing  in  the  tavern.  The  murderer  marched 
out  of  the  gates  and  took  refuge  in  the  tent,  which 
was  pitched  in  the  Rebat,  as  a  sanctuary  for  all 
soldiers  who  had  committed  crimes,  and  would  serve 
against   the   Arabs    until    pardoned.      Hassan   was 


CONTINUATION    OF    MY    SITUATION.  I4I 

carried  to  his  barracks,  washed  and  interred.  The 
tavern  was  shut  up  and  all  the  Christians  who  were 
present,  among  whom  I  was  one,  were  sent  to  the 
Marine  to  work,  by  order  of  Ciddi  Aly,  who  was 
Vikilharche  of  the  Marine  and  by  no  means  my 
friend.  I  remained  at  hard  labor  two  days  and  then 
made  application  to  the  Hasnagi  or  Prime  Minister 
and  Treasurer,  who  gave  orders  that  the  tavern 
should  be  restored  to  me,  and  the  Christians  who 
were  my  servants  permitted  to  go  there  as  usual, 
but  more  than  a  week  elapsed  before  my  servants 
were  returned,  and  not  before  I  made  a  present  of 
ten  sequins  to  Ibraim  Raiz,  Guardian  Bashaw.  Not 
long  afterwards  a  Kuluglo  named  Cara  Burmuz  of 
so  infamous  a  character  that  he  was  deemed  even 
unworthy  to  be  a  Turkish  soldier,  and  his  pay  was 
taken  from  him — was  insolent  to  a  Greek  Renegade 
called  Mahommed  Grittiti  in  the  Mad  House  tavern, 
who  beat  him  unmercifully.  The  next  day  Cara 
Burmuz  complained  to  the  Scheran  Bashaw  or  head 
surgeon,  whose  duty  it  is  to  take  cognizance  of  such 
acts  and  make  the  delinquent  pay  for  drawing  blood; 
but  knowing  that  he  could  not  expect  more  than  two 
or  three  sequins  from  a  soldier,  induced  Cara  Bur- 
muz to  swear  that  it  was  I  that  had  beaten  him.  I 
accordingly  was  summoned  before  this  despot,  who 
after  a  long  discourse  in  which  he  wished  to  impress 
upon  my  mind  the  greatness  of  the  crime  of  which 
I  had  been  guilty,  in  beating  so  unmercifully  a  true 
believer,  said  he  was  willing  to  compromise  the 
matt-er  with  me,  provided  I  would  pay  him  two 
hundred  sequins  as  the  price  of  blood,  and  if   not  I 


142  THE     CAPTIVES. 

must  go  to  prison.  Mahommed  Grittiti  appeared 
and  declared  that  I  had  not  even  seen  Cara  Burmuz 
when  he  had  chastised  him  for  his  insolence.  The 
Scheran  Bashi,  with  a  great  deal  of  sang  froid,  said 
he  supposed  the  Christian  had  paid  him  well  for 
appearing  in  his  favor,  that  it  was  a  singular  thing  to 
see  a  Mussulman  take  the  part  of  a  Christian  against 
one  of  his  bretheren,  and  hinted  that  he  formerly 
was  a  Christian  himself,  accounted  for  his  partiality. 
Mahommed  indignantly  replied  that  he  was  a  better 
Mussulman  than  he  was,  that  Cara  Burmuz  was  a 
vile  character,  and  that  although  he  had  it  in  his 
power  to  extort  money  from  a  poor  Christian  captive 
with  impunity,  that  for  every  sequin  he  paid,  Cara 
Burmuz  should  receive  a  drubbing,  and  he  was  as 
good  as  his  word  for  every  time  he  met  him  he 
broke  his  pipe  over  his  head,  until  ultimately  he  was 
obliged  to  leave  the  city.  Scheran  Bashi  then  went 
to  the  Hasnagi  and  made  out  his  own  story — the 
Dey  being  at  his  country  seat — this  being  Thursday 
evening  he  would  not  return  until  Friday,  and  no 
business  would  be  done  until  Saturday,  consequently 
had  I  went  to  prison  I  must  have  remained  there 
until  the  Dey  determined  on  the  justice  of  the  case 
which  would  have  depended  entirely  upon  the  humor 
he  might  be  in.  I,  therefore,  concluded  to  make  a 
virtue  of  necessity  and  agreed  to  pay  this  man  one 
hundred  and  thirty  manboobs,  as  the  price  of  blood 
which  I  had  not  drawn,  and  returned  home. 

The  third  affair  had  liked  to  have  been  of  a  more 

» 

serious  nature.  It  happened  on  the  anniversary  of 
the  eighth  year  of  my  captivity,  and  as  it  will  show 


CONTINUATION    OF    MY    SITUATION.  I43 

the  temperature  of  my  mind  at  this  epoch  of  my 
captivity,  I  will  copy  my  memorandum  thereof 
from  my  journal  July  25,  1793: 

"Oh,  Heavens!  this  is  the  anniversary  of  the  eighth 
year  of  my  captivity.  Is  it  possible  that  so  young 
as  I  was  when  I  was  captured,  that  I  could  have 
incensed  the  Divine  Disposer  of  all  human  events  so 
much  as  to  merit  perpetual  captivity,  an  exile  forever 
from  my  dear  but  cruel  Patria,  lost  to  my  dearest 
connections  and  friends,  never  more  to  see  those 
who  in  early  life  guided,  protected  and  educated  me 
in  the  paths  of  virtue,  and  who  with  unavailing  tears 
regret  my  loss?  For  eight  years  have  I  been  ex- 
posed to  every  indignity  that  a  Mahomedan  could 
invent,  to  render  the  life  of  a  Christian  captive  truly 
and  sentimentally  miserable;  destitute  of  friends  to 
console  me  in  time  of  affliction — at  times  without 
either  meat,  drink  or  raiment,  but  the  small  miser- 
able pittance  of  black  bread,  olives  and  horse  beans 
allowed  us  by  the  Regency  of  Algiers,  even  the 
small  allowance  of  seven  and  a  half  cents  a  day, 
which  was  allowed  us  by  our  country,  has  been  long 
discontinued — ever  since  September,  1789,  and  no 
notice  whatever  taken  of  us  for  years,  except  that 
now  and  then  some  person  would  ascertain  the  sum 
demanded  for  our  ransom,  which  for  a  time  would 
revive  our  hopes,  but  ultimately  would  sink  us  into 
the  abyss  of  despondency  and  despair,  when  we 
found  that  the  report  of  our  redemption  being  near 
would  die  away  "and  like  the  baseless  fabric  of  a 
vision  leave  not  a  wreck  behind;"  continually 
inclosed     in    those   pandemoniums   called     Bagnios 


144  THE    CAPTIVES. 

or  Slave  prisons,  where  every  vice  was  not  only 
tolerated  but  encouraged;  exposed  to  the  plague  for 
several  years,  where  hundreds  of  our  fellow  prisoners 
were  dying  around  us,  and  thousands  of  the  inhabi- 
tants, and  not  knowing  but  the  present  moment 
would  be  our  last.  O!  America,  could  you  see  the 
miserable  situation  of  your  citizens  in  captivity,  who 
have  shed  their  blood  to  secure  you  the  liberty  you 
now  possess  and  enjoy;  and  who  now  have  their 
misery  augmented  by  the  consideration  that  the 
country  for  which  they  fought  is  now  free  and  in  a 
flourishing  condition,  you  are  the  first  that  set  the 
example  to  the  world,  to  shake  off  the  yoke  of 
tyranny,  to  expel  despotism  and  injustice  from  the 
face  of  the  earth.  The  negroes  have  even  had  a 
share  in  your  deliberations,  and  have  reaped  the 
benefits  arising  from  your  wise  and  wholesome  laws 
and  regulations,  and  we,  the  very  men  who  have 
assisted  in  all  your  laudable  enterprises,  are  now  cast 
off  because  we  have  been  unfortunate;  are  denied 
the  rights  of  our  common  country.  Have  we  sold 
our  birth  right?  Are  we  excluded  without  a  cause 
from  the  privileges  enjoyed  indiscriminately  by  the 
lowest  class  of  our  citizens?  Was  it  not  the  calami- 
ties attending  our  country,  that  involved  us  in  the 
misery  we  have  so  long  experienced?  Why  then 
must  we  not  be  taken  notice  of?  Why  are  we  left 
the  victims  of  arbitrary  power  and  barbarous 
despotism,  in  a  strange  land  far  distant  from  all  our 
connections,  miserable  exiles  from  the  country  for 
which  we  have  fought,  forgotten  by  our  cotempor- 
aries   who   formerly   used    to  animate  us  in  all  our 


CONTINUATION    OF    MY    SITUATION.  I45 

expedition  with  tales  of  liberty?  O!  Temporal  O! 
Mores!  Thou  art  the  people  that  now  leave  us 
neglected,  buried  in  oblivion  in  the  dungeons  of 
Algiers,  suffering  the  most  ignominous  captivity, 
when  the  paltry  sum  of  $48,300  would  have  redeemed 
us  years  ago,  and  none  of  us  would  have  been  buried 
in  the  sand  of  "Bebal  Wed"  at  the  present  when 
from  twenty-one,  who  were  captured  in  1785,  we  are 
reduced  by  the  plague  and  contingences  to  only 
twelve,  we  might  have  been  redeemed  for  a  much 
smaller  sum — nay,  for  less  than  $25,000;  but  it  seems 
that  we  are  doomed  to  be  the  only  victims  of 
American  Independence.  No  means  as  yet  have 
been  pursued  to  extricate  us  from  this  terrestial 
purgatory,  before  the  plague,  which  now  rages  in 
our  prison,  puts  a  final  period  to  our  existence. 

O!  America,  it  my  sufferings  could  be  of  any 
benefit  to  you  my  beloved  country,  I  would  be  happy 
in  being  the  victim  and  glory  in  my  chains;  but  as  I 
am  sure  it  cannot  in  the  least  degree,  let  me  enjoy 
the  melancholy  privilege  of  bewailing  my  deplorable 
situation,  which  to  a  sentimental  mind  presents 
horors  easier  to  imagine  than  to  describe." 

I  had  remained  in  the  room  allotted  me  in  the 
Bagnio  Gallera  all  day  without  having  eaten  any- 
thing, and  about  3  o'clock  went  to  the  Mad  House 
tavern  to  get  my  dinner,  and  to  give  some  to  my 
unfortunate  brother  sufferers,  when  they  came  from 
hard  labor  as  was  generally  my  custom  to  do,  but 
whether  the  thought  of  my  situation  or  not  having 
eaten  anything  since  the  morning  or  both,  aided  by 
a  glass  or  two  of  wine  impaired  my  reason  or  not,  I 


146  THE    CAPTIVES. 

am  not  aware,  but  I  certainly  acted  very  imprudently 
which  had  nearly  ruined  me  forever.  A  sheriff — 
that  is  one  who  pretended  to  be  a  decendant  of  their 
Prophet  Mahommed — desired  me  to  rise  and  let  him 
sit  down,  I  told  him  that  I  was  in  my  own  house, 
and  would  finish  my  dinner  before  he,  or  any  one 
else,  would  sit  in  my  place.  ''What,  dog  without 
faith,"  answered  this  exasperated  Moslem,  "Will  you 
presume  to  sit  while  one  of  the  faithful  and  a  sheriff 
stands?"  You  dare  not  call  me  a  dog  answered  I; 
was  I  not  a  captive?  You  are  an  ungenerous  cur  for 
taking  advantage  of  my  situation;  in  any  other  I 
would  cut  your  ears  off;  as  far  as  being  without  faith 
I  believe  in  the  faith  of  my  forefathers  (la  illah,  ila 
Allah) ,  there  is  no  God  but  the  true  God.  But  as  I 
was  not  born  in  the  same  country  that  you  was,  I 
have  not  been  taught  the  symbol  of  your  faith,  but  I 
know  it.  You  say  "la  illah,  ila  Allah  wa  Mahomed 
Arasule  Allah  there  is  no  God  but  the  true  God,  and 
Mahomed  is  his  prophet."  I  do  not  know  Mahomed 
as  a  prophet,  but  I  believe  him  to  have  been  a  very 
great  law  giver,  who  converted  millions  of  Idolaters 
and  induced  them  to  worship  the  only  true  God  as  I 
do;  but  I  question  if  you  know  the  tenets  of  your 
own  religion  as  well  as  I  do,  or  even  know  the  history 
of  your  saints  who  succeeded  your  prophet  and 
propagated  the  religion  you  profess.  This  harangue 
from  a  Christian  drew  the  attention  of  all  true 
believers  in  the  tavern  and  prevented  the  sheriff 
from  remembering  that  I  threatened  to  cut  off  his 
ears;  and  an  old  sheik  asked  me  where  and  how  long 
was  it  since  Mahomed  was  born,  and  who  were  his 
successors,  as  he  said  that  he  believed  that  I   had 


CONTINUATION    OF    MY    SITUATION.  1 47 

assumed  more  knowledge  than  I  possessed,  building 
he  supposed  on  the  sheriff's  ignorance,  who  was  a 
soldier  and  not  a  learned  man;  that  he  was  a  Hadgi 
and  had  been  twice  to  Mecca,  and  had  the  Koran  by 
heart  and  consequently  could  not  be  deceived.  I 
answered  I  had  read  the  Koran  and  the  life  of 
Mahomed  likewise  in  my  own  language,  and  as  a 
proof  that  the  translation  was  correct  that  I  would 
answer  his  questions. 

Mahomed  the  great  law  giver,  I  said,  was  born  at 
Mecca  in  the  month  called  Mary,  in  the  year  of 
Christ  571,  and  died  at  Medina  on  the  I2th  day  of 
the  3rd  month  of  Rabi-a-thani  A.  D.,  632,  and  the 
nth  year  of  the  Hegira,  being  63  lunar  years  old  at 
the  time  of  his  death.  He  was  succeeded  in  the 
government  by  Ayesha's  father,  Abn  Beckir,  who 
was  succeeded  by  Oman  or  Othman,  who  was 
succeeded  by  Ally  Mahomed's  son-in-law.  who 
married  Fatima,  his  daughter,  by  Cadigha,  and  had 
the  best  right  to  the  succession,  but  was  opposed 
three  times  successively  by  Ayesha  and  her  party, 
and  when  ultimately  he  succeeded  in  obtaining  the 
government,  she  and  her  party  took  up  arms  against 
him,  and  was  the  cause  of  the  ruin  of  himself  and 
his  house.  This  was  not  a  little  facilitated  by  the 
death  of  his  wife  Fatima,  which  happ'ened  only 
sixty  days  after  the  death  of  her  father,  and  con- 
siderably weakened  his  party.  He,  however,  is 
adored  to  this  day  by  the  Persians,  and  some  sects 
both  in  Asia  and  Africa.  I  was  going  to  proceed 
when  most  of  the  Mahomedans  exclaimed  contempo- 
raneously "Allah!  Allah!   Allah!   this  Christian  is  a 


148  THE    CAPTIVES. 

Mahomedan,  or  the  son  of  some  renegade  who 
pretended  to  turn  Christian  to  serve  his  private 
purposes,  he  must  become  one  of  us.  What  did  you 
say  is  the  difference  between  your  faith  and  ours?" 
I  foolishly  repeated  as  before  la  illah,  ilia  Allah  is 
mine,  "and  ours"  they  rejoined,  ''la  illah,  ilia  Allah  wa 
Mahomed  Arasule  Allah!"  This  was  a  trap  they  had 
set  forme;  "he  is  ours"  cried  they;  "he  has  pronounced 
the  symbol  of  our  faith."  The  Cadhi  who  lived  but 
a  few  doors  off  was  called  upon,  but  fortunately  was 
not  at  home.  Another  went  to  the  Turkish  barracks 
to  get  the  Muden;  he  was  at  the  Mosque,  and  as  the 
Turks  were  obliged  to  be  in  their  barracks  before 
dark,  some  dispersed  and  only  a  few  remaining  I 
desired  my  tavern  keeper  to  satisfy  the  sheriff  by 
giving  him  some  money  and  cordials,  and  likewise 
to  treat  all  others  who  were  most  intent  on  what  had 
happened,  and  the  Hadgi,  who  was  a  sober  man,  I 
presented  with  ten  sequins,  requesting  him  if  any 
questions  were  asked  in  the  morning  to  say  that 
what  I  had  said  I  had  rehearsed  from  the  Koran, 
which  I  had  in  my  possession  in  my  own  language 
without  any  intention  whatever.  I  then  returned  to 
my  prison,  and  thus  escaped  the  greatest  danger  I 
had  ever  been  in  since  my  captivity  commenced. 
The  next  day  all  was  quiet  except  that  some  person 
had  informed  the  Dey  that  a  respectable  Christian 
slave  had  wanted  to  become  a  Moslem  the  evening 
before.  The  Dey  sent  for  the  Hadgi  who  in  conse- 
quence of  the  ten  sequins  reported  favorably,  and 
threw  all  the  blame  upon  the  sheriff,  who  in  the  first 
instance  had   exasperated   me.      "That  young  man 


CONTINUATION   OF    MY   SITUATION.  I49 

has  a  hard  head,"  said  the  Dey;  "he  has  no  more 
intention  to  turn  Moslem  than  I  have  now  to  turn 
Christian;  had  he  been  so  disposed  he  might  have 
done  it  years  ago  much  more  to  his  advantage;  for 
when  I  was  Vikilharche  of  the  Marine  I  offered  him 
full  pay  if  he  would  turn  Turk,  and  the  command  of 
my  largest  cruiser,  in  which  Salah  Rais  afterwards 
lost  his  life  in  the  engagement  with  the  Russians  in 
the  Black  Sea,  a  wife  and  a  house  and  garden  and 
likewise  to  take  care  of  his  fortunes  in  future;  and 
probably,  had  he  accepted  my  offer,  he  might  at 
this  instance  be  either  Vikilharche  himself  or  at  least 
Post  Admiral;  but  his  answer  was  worthy  of  even  a 
Turk,  he  said  he  thanked  me  for  the  good  opinion  I 
entertained  of  him,  and  that  he  would  endeavor  to 
retain  it,  but  that  he  would  deserve  contempt  if  he 
should  become  an  apostate  from  the  religion  of  his 
forefathers  merely  to  promote  his  worldly  interests. 
*T  should  dispise  a  Moslem"  said  he,  "Was  he  to 
renounce  his  faith  merely  to  better  his  situation,  and 
pray  Effendi"  said  he,  with  a  tear  glistening  in  his 
eye,  "what  have  you  seen  in  my  conduct  to  induce 
you  to  form  so  contemptible  an  opinion  of  me? 
Do  you  suppose  that  I  can  not  bear  slavery  with  all 
its  concomitants  and  degradations  sooner  than 
renounce  the  faith  which  I  was  taught  to  hold  sacred 
by  my  mother,  whom  I  hope  yet  to  live  to  see  and 
to  thank  more  for  her  instructions  than  her  nournish- 
ment." 

"You  see"  says  the  Dey,  "that  this  American  has 
made  fools  of  you  all.  In  future  you  had  better  let 
him  and  his  countrymen  alone,  and  make  converts 


150  THE    CAPTIVES. 

elsewhere,  for  they  are  as  hard  headed  as  Arnahauds 
or  as  Englishmen  themselves." 

This  conversation  was  recited  to  me  in  the  first 
instance  by  the  Hadgi  on  whom  the  ten  sequins  and 
some  small  presents  afterwards  had  a  most  wonder- 
ful effect,  and  likewise  in  part  by  the  Dey  after  I 
became  chief  secretary  to  him  and  the  Regency  in 
1792.  The  escape  which  I  have  just  recited  pre- 
vented me  from  ever  disputing  with  a  Moslem  upon 
points  of  religion  again,  and  ought  to  serve  as  a 
warning  to  all  who  read  this  journal  and  travel  in 
those  countries;  for  in  fact  had  the  Cadhi  been  at 
home  he  was  in  duty  bound  to  have  demanded  my 
admission  among  the  true  believers,  the  Dey  himself 
dare  not  have  opposed  it;  and  had  I  refused  after 
having  recited  the  symbol  of  their  faith  I  would  have 
been  put  to  death  as  an  apostate  from  it;  so  that  I 
may  conceive  that  I  had  a  lucky  escape. 

From  July  1791,  I  remained  clerk  to  the  Prime 
Minister,  and  to  settle  the  accounts  of  the  Dey's 
new  house,  which  was  not  quite  finished  and  which 
he  sold  to  his  Prime  Minister  when  he  became  Dey 
himself. 

AN  ACCOUNT  OF  THE  DEATH  OF  MAHOMED  BASHAW, 
DEY  OF  ALGIERS. 

Monday,  July  ii,  1791.  Departed  this  life 
Mahomed  Bashaw,  Dey  of  Algiers,  at  a  few  minutes 
past  five  in  the  evening,  after  an  illness  of  several 
days.  This  was  kept  a  profound  secret  by  Ciddi 
Ali,  Vikilharche  of  the  Marine,  and  Ciddi  Mahomet 
Hasnadar    or    Dey's    Chamberlain,    until    the    night 


CONTINUATION    OF    MY   SITUATION.  I5I 

when  Ciddi  Alii  went  over  the  terrace  of  the  palace 
and  tapped  at  the  Hasnagi's  or  Prime  Minister's 
window,  and  was  answered  by  a  Christian  slave. 
Ciddi  Ali  told  him  to  call  his  master  and  inform  him 
he  had  some  letters  of  importance  from  the  Bey  of 
Constantine  for  him,  and  begged  he  would  come  to 
the  v/indow.  Immediately  he  accordingly  came  and 
was  informed  of  the  Dey's  death,  and  that  he,  Ciddi 
Hassan,  was  appointed  by  the  late  Dey  in  his  will  to 
supply  his  place.  Ciddi  Hassan  thanked  him  for 
his  information,  and  begged  of  him  to  use  the  greatest 
precaution  and  take  all  necessary  steps  to  prevent 
opposition.  On  the  next  day  Ciddi  Ali  told  him 
that  he  expected  no  opposition,  but  from  the  Aga  or 
Generalissimo  of  the  Regency. 

ORDER   OF  PRECEDENCY   IN   THE   REGENCY   OF  ALGIERS, 

I79I. 

I.  The  Dey;  2.  Hasnagi  or  Prime  Minister; 
3.  Aga  or  Generalissimo  of  the  Regency;  4.  Bey; 
5.  Hodge  d  Carallos;  6.  Bedelmel;  7.  Vikilharche 
of  the  Marine;  8.  Hasnadar  or  Dey's  Chamberlain; 
9.  Vikilhadge  of  the  Dey's  Palace;  10.  Hodges  or 
Secretaries  of  State;  11.  Money  counter  to  the 
Treasury;     12.  Moorish  Secretary. 

EXTRACT    FROM    MY    LETTER    TO    PHILIP    WERMER. 

Algiers,  May  20,  1791. 
Surgeon  of  the  British  Factory,  Algiers:— 

Sir: — Not  having  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  you  when  I 
called  upon  your  first  arrival,  give  me  leave  now  to  congratu- 
late you  on  your  safe  arrival,  and  most  sincerely  hope  your 
affairs  in  Europe  have  exceeded  your  most  sanguine  expecta- 
tions. 


152  THE    CAPTIVES. 

Mr.  Philip  Sloan  informed  me,  some  days  ago,  that  you 
had  taken  down  many  of  my  brother  sufferers'  names  in  order 
to  send  with  a  memorial  to  John  Home  Tooke,  Esq.,  who 
intends  to  plan  a  subscription  for  their  redemption,  and  that 
among  others  you  have  inserted  mine.  Too  many  enconiums 
can  not  be  passed  on  the  disinterested  humanity  of  that  worthy 
gentleman  for  exerting  himself  in  favor  of  his  distressed 
countrymen;  but  although  liberty  is  the  greatest  blessing  man 
can  enjoy  and  the  most  desirable  to  attain,  yet  on  mature 
deliberation  I  cannot  think  of  accepting  Mr.  Tooke's  benevo- 
lent offer,  nor  do  I  ever  intend  to  reap  the  benefit  of  them,  but 
will  strongly  recommend  the  rest  of  my  brother  sufferers  to 
his  attention,  for  beside  the  difficulty,  or  more  properly  speak- 
ing, the  impossibility  of  raising  ^8,000  for  the  redemption  of 
the  citizens  of  the  United  States,  do  you  imagine  that  the 
declining  Empire  of  Great  Britain  would  wish  to  have  rescued 
from  slavery  the  citizens  of  a  power  which  promises  fair  to  be 
her  greatest  rival  at  a  period  not  far  distant,  and  by  whose 
agency  they  emigrate  and  thus  encourage  her  seamen  to 
emigrate  to  America,  by  assuring  them  that  they  will  be 
redeemed  by  Great  Britain  and  extricated  out  of  whatever 
labyrinth  they  might  fall  into..  You  may  aver  that  the  pro- 
posed subscription  will  be  effected  by  private  donations,  and 
has  no  concern  with  national  funds  or  affairs;  but  I  am  of  the 
opinion  that  all  subscriptions  are  more  or  less  public,  and 
must  of  course  in  such  a  nation  as  Great  Britain,  come  under 
the  inspection  of  those  whose  duty  it  is  to  oppose  any  such 
measures  being  carried  into  effect  by  the  humane. 

Without  presuming  to  dictate,  give  me  leave  to  observe 
that  Mr.  Home  Tooke  might  adopt  a  more  expedient  way  of 
extricating  his  unfortunate  countrymen  from  bondage  (that  is 
such  of  them  as  would  accept  of  his  beneficience)  by  having 
recourse  to  Mr.  Benton's  will  in  the  guardianship  of  the  com- 
pany of  iron  mongers  of  London,  as  most  of  them  are  heirs  to 
that,  for  notwithstanding  the  act  which  specifies  that  British 
subjects  captured  by  the  Barbary  States  under  foreign  flags 
are  excluded  from  that  privilege,  but  that  was  enacted  a  con- 
siderable time  after  the  25th  of  July,  1785,  the  day  that  our 
captivity  commenced,  in  order  to  prevent  British  seamen  from 
emigrating  to  America.  But  in  regard  to  those  who  were 
here  already,  it  is  void  and  of  no  effect  whatever.     But  let  Mr. 


CONTINUATION    OF    MY    SITUATION.  1 53 

Horne  Tooke's  method  be  either,  it  will  forever  reflect  honor 
on  his  character,  and  history  will  hereafter  record  him  for  his 
unprejudiced  humanity,  as  much  as  Cyrus  was  for  his  mag- 
nanimity. But  should  he  succeed,  as  it  is  my  sincere  wish  he 
may,  I  never  will  degrade  myself  or  family  so  much  as  to 
become  the  object  of  public  charity.  It  never  shall  be  said  by 
my  relatives  that  I  was  redeemed  by  public  subscription,  after 
plunging  myself  into  slavery  in  the  service  of  America.  You 
possibly  imagine  that  I  have  degenerated  from  my  pristine 
sentiments  since  my  captivity  commenced,  that  I  would  accept 
my  redemption  from  any  quarter,  and  embrace  liberty  even  in 
the  foulest  form.  If  that  is  the  case,  let  me  correct  that 
opinion  now  and  forever.  What  opinion  would  those  who 
know  my  sentiments  have  of  me,  should  I  debase  myself  so 
much  as  to  use  supplication  to  the  member  of  a  community  to 
which  I  am  by  no  means  attached  or  sue  for  a  favor  I  never 
intend  to  repay— I  mean  by  serving  the  country  that  redeemed 
me,  which  I  would  never  do  was  I  to  be  redeemed  by  Great 
Britain  tomorrow. 

These  sir,  are  my  sentiments,  my  unalterable  sentiments, 
unbiased  by  self  interest,  or  any  other  interest;  for  gold, 
although  universally  adored,  has  not  yet  so  much  ascendency 
over  me  as  to  induce  me  to  an  act  that  my  conscience  cannot 
approve,  nor  have  I  ever  once  doubted  the  liberality  of  the 
country  whose  cause  I  voluntarily  espoused  when  at  large,  but 
am  firmly  resolved  to  wait  with  fortitude  becoming  a  Christian 
and  an  American,  until  my  captivity  expires  by  an  honorable 
redemption,  and  by  my  perseverance  will  endeavor  to  merit 
the  attention  of  that  worthy  country  my  adopted  Patria.  I 
shall  do  myself  the  honor  to  write  Mr.'  Horne  Tooke  to  the 
above  purport,  only  with  this  difference,  that  I  will  recommend 
the  Oran  Englishmen  to  his  notice,  the  redeeming  of  whom 
would  be  a  much  greater  charity,  as  they  have  no  expectation 
but  what  is  derived  from  the  clemency  of  Great  Britain,  of 
which  they  have  great  reason  to  despair.  With  all  due 
respect  I  beg  leave  to  subscribe  myself. 

Your  most  obedient  servant, 

JAMES  LEANDER  CATHCART. 

The  above  was  written  before  I  was  quite  22 
years  of  age,  from  a  prison  where  the  plague  had 


154  THE     CAPTIVES. 

raged  twice  and  where  I  had  been  six  years,  remain- 
ing nearly  five  years  longer,  when  I  left  Algiers  to 
save  the  peace,  in  my  own  vessel,  navigated  by 
myself  and  manned  with  Moors,  with  dispatches 
from  Algiers  to  Alicant,  Lisbon,  and  Philadelphia. 

COPY     OF    A     LETTER     TO     CAPT.     O'bRIEN    DURING    THE 
PLAGUE. 

Death's  Door,  Algiers,  March  2,  1793. 

My  Dear  Sir: — I  am  sorry  to  be  under  the  necessity  of 
troubling  you  at  this  melancholy  crisis  of  mortality,  but  the 
friendship  that  has  subsisted  between  us  during  the  trying 
time  of  our  captivity,  I  hope  will  make  you  pardon  my 
intrusion. 

I  am  sorry  to  inform  you  that  Matthew  Carrol  went  to  the 
hospital  yesterday  with  the  plague,  and  that  Peter  Tessanaer 
is  struck  with  it,  just  now  has  come  from  the  Marine,  and  is  in 
the  hospital.  I  have  had  communication  with  both  of  them, 
and  at  this  inst.  I  cannot  possibly  say  but  I  may  be  on  the 
verge  of  eternity. 

In  case  I  should  soon  take  my  departure,  I  beg  of  you  to 
try  all  means  to  convey  the  inteUigence  at  some  future  period 
to  some  of  my  friends.  This  possibly  may  be  the  last  favor  I 
ever  will  demand  of  you,  and  I  hope  you  will  not  deny  me. 

I  forgive  Stephens  from  my  heart,  but  if  I  die  of  this  dis- 
temper, he  certainly  will  have  his  conduct  to  answer  for, 
relative  to  me,  before  a  just  God  who  makes  no  difference  be- 
tween the  captain  and  the  sailors,  as  he  has  been  the  means  of 
hindering  me  from  being  accommodated  out  of  the  reach  of 
the  plague — it  seems  as  if  I  was  doomed  to  be  a  victim  to  this 
contagion.  This  is  the  third  plague  I  have  been  exposed  to 
and  always  in  the  Bagnio,  but  God's  will  be  done.  When  my 
mind  is  less  agitated  I  will  write  to  you  again.  Pray  favor  me 
with  an  answer  by  the  bearer.  Wholly  resigned  to  the  will  of 
God,  I  beg  leave  to  subscribe  myself 

Your  affectionate  and  unfeigned  friend, 

CATHCART. 

P.  S. — By  the  bearer  receive  a  watch  chain  and  seal;  if  I 
weather  Cape  Desolation,  you  will  give  it  me  again;  if  I  do 
not,  I  beg  of  you  to  keep  it  as  a  small  token  of  remembrance 
of  a  disinterested  friend  in  the  shades. 


CONTINUATION    OF    MY    SITUATION.  1 55 

Algiers,  March  3,  1793. 
Dear  Sir: — Sensible  how  necessary  timely  consolation 
must  be  to  a  person  of  your  sympathetic  disposition,  I  am 
happy  to  inform  you  that  the  fever  has  left  Tessanaer,  and 
there  is  great  expectation  of  his  recovery;  however  we  at 
present  dread  a  relapse.  I  entertain  some  doubts  relative  to 
its  authenticity,  and  I  think  it  may  prove  the  reverse,  which 
pray  God  it  may.  My  poor  friend  Carrol  is  likewise  in  a  fair 
way,  the  fever  has  left  him,  he  has  a  very  large  carbuncle  on 
his  leg,  which  has  been  lanced  and  the  doctor  says  he  will, 
with  God's  assistance,  escape  the  effects  of  this  dreadful  con- 
tagion. With  my  sincere  prayer  for  the  infirm,  and  a  contin- 
uation of  your  health. 

Your  sincere  friend, 

CATHCART. 
INVOCATION. 

Oh!  Omnipotent  and  Omnipresent  Being,  who 
beholdest  the  most  hidden  recesses  of  our  hearts, 
influence  that  most  august  assembly  of  the  United 
States  of  America,  headed  by  the  immortal  Wash- 
ington, in  our  favor,  in  order  to  extricate  us  with 
honor,  from  this  state  of  incomprehensible  misery  in 
which  we  have  remained  seven  years,  without  any 
one  period  of  sentimental  relief.  This,  O!  most 
merciful  God,  is  the  anniversary  -  of  my  departure 
from  Boston,  little  imagining  that  I  was  to  be  buried 
from  my  country,  my  fellow  citizens  and  all  my 
dearest  connections,  to  incur  the  displeasure  of  a 
just  God;  for  surely  nothing  else  could  provide  such 
a  superlative  degree  of  horror  from  one  extreme  of 
wretchedness  to  another,  as  I  have  experienced  since 
my  miserable  captivity  commenced.  But  sustained 
by  thy  Almighty  grace  and  that  philosophy,  which 
I  have  always  taken  pains  to    cultivate    in    extreme 


156  THE     CAPTIVES. 

danger,  I  am  preserved,  myself  to  be  a  spectator  of 
the  small  ray  of  hope  we  see  reflected  from  our 
western  world,  through  the  channel  of  our  present 
negotiation,  magnified  by  the  anxiety  of  our  minds, 
longing  to  behold  our  beloved  country.  We  are  now 
in  longing  expectation  of  seeing  our  flag  displayed 
in  Africa,  and  we  restored  to  our  country,  our  liberty; 
and  inspired  by  our  long  period  of  adversity  with  a 
spirit  which,  I  hope,  will  make  us  worthy  the  patron- 
age of  the  humane  and  benevolent  Washington,  the 
protector  of  his  country  and  father  of  his  people. 
The  poor  slaves  in  general  never  were  in  a  more 
miserable  situation  than  they  are  at  present;  wretch- 
edness is  painted  on  almost  all  their  countenances, 
hard  labor,  scant  provisions,  injurious  treatment, 
and  blows  from  their  cruel  and  most  inhuman  task 
masters.  O!  heavens,  to  insult  distress  in  captivity 
and  extreme  wretchedness;  what  an  unnatural  deed, 
and  is  too  much  to  bear  to  add  to  the  load  of  misery 
that  is  borne  by  an  afflicted  slave,  is  unhuman  beyond 
expression,  and  barbarous  in  a  superlative  degree. 
God  forgive  the  perpetrators  of  such  horrid  deeds! 

I  became  secretary  to  the  Dey  and  Regency  of 
Algiers,  in  March,  1792.  This  ofifice  became  vacant 
by  the  redemption  of  my  friend  Mr.  D'Andreis,  with 
whom  I  was  acquainted  in  Boston.  The  Dey 
remembered  me  and  said  that  as  I  had  fulfilled  the 
duties  of  the  different  subordinate  offices  of  clerk  of 
the  Marine,  etc.,  that  I  ought  to  be  preferred  to  the 
highest  post  a  Christian  can  attain.  He,  therefore, 
appointed  me  the  same  day.  Notwithstanding  that 
the  Dey  appointed  me  in  consequence  of  my  former 


CONTINUATION    OF    MY   SITUATION.  1 57 

services,  he  had  it  not  in  his  power  to  exempt  me 
from  paying  lOOO  sequins  to  the  Hasna  or  public 
treasury,  and  383  sequins,  the  customary  fee,  to  the 
officers  of  the  government.  This  is  paid  in  conse- 
quence of  being  entitled  to  redemption  by  any  nation 
whatever,  who  either  concludes  a  peace  or  ransoms 
their  citizens,  even  should  it  take  place  the  next  day 
after  his  appointment,  besides  other  perquisites. 
The  Dey  himself  (strange  as  it  may  seem)  loaned 
me  5CO  sequins,  and  my  generous  friend,  the  Messrs. 
Skjoldebrands  (the  Swedish  counsul  and  brother) 
loaned  me  500  more,  which  I  paid  as  the  fee  to  the 
public  treasury.  I  must  not  forget  to  mention  my 
obligations  upon  this  occasion,  but  upon  a  former 
one  when  I  was  by  no  means  in  so  eligible  a  situation. 
These  worthy  and  generous  men  loaned  me  ^5000  to 
purchase  a  prize  loaded  with  wine,  on  which  I  made 
a  good  speculation,  without  any  interest  or  reward 
whatever,  out  of  pure  friendship.  Although  they 
knew  the  risk  they  run,  for  had  I  died  or  committed 
any  fault,  real  or  imaginary,  before  they  were  paid, 
the  Regency  would  have  seized  all  my  property  as 
their  slave,  and  they  would  have  .lost  every  dollar  of 
their  money.  Such  unprecedented  acts  of  gener- 
osity ought  to  be  recorded  on  the  tablet  of  our 
memory  forever,  never  to  be  effaced.  My  gratitude 
to  them  is  eternal  and  knows  no  bounds.  The  prop- 
erty I  accumulated  enabled  me  to  purchase  the  ves- 
sel, of  which  I  took  the  command,  when  I  came  to 
Philadelphia  in  1796,  to  bring  the  articles  to  secure 
the  peace. 


CHAPTER  X. 

NEGOTIATIONS    IN    BARBARY. 

Arrival  of  Joseph  Donaldson  at  Algiers  the  3rd 
of  September.  Peace  concluded  between  the  United 
States  of  America  and  Hassan  Bashaw,  Dey  of 
Algiers,  Sep.  5,  1795. 

On  the  13th  of  August,  1795,  a  Spanish  boat 
arrived  from  Alicant  and  brought  letters  from  Joseph 
Donaldson  to  Messrs.  Skjoldebrand  and  O'Brien, 
and  from  Mr.  Montgomery  to  me.  In  concurrence 
with  the  opinion  of  Messrs.  Skjoldebrand  and 
O'Brien,  I  waited  upon  the  Dey  and  informed  him 
that  an  American  gentleman,  at  Alicant,  requested 
to  be  permitted  to  kiss  his  Excellency's  hand  on 
terms  of  peace.  The  Dey  asked  if  it  was  the  Am- 
bassador he  had  so  long  expected.  I  answered  that  it 
was  not,  but  that  he  was  sent  by  him  as  his  precursor; 
that  the  Ambassador  had  gone  to  France  on  public 
business,  and  very  probably  to  arrange  the  pecuniary 
matters  requisite  to  carry  the  treaty  into  effect,  pro- 
vided this  gentleman  concluded  any.  The  Dey  said 
he  did  not  understand  the  reason  why  so  many 
changes  and  delays  had  been  mad«-,  and  asked  me  if 
I  would  undertake  the  responsibility  of  the  person 
who  was  desirous  to  come  to  Algiers;  that  he  actually 


NEGOTIATIONS    IN    BARBARY.  1 59 

had  full  power  to  negotiate  peace  and  the  ransom  of 
the  captives.  I  answered  my  head  for  it,  Effendi. 
that  he  has,  otherwise  he  would  not  ask  permission 
to  come  here;  but  at  the  same  time  it  is  incumbent 
on  me  to  inform  your  Excellency,  that  those  powers 
are  limited  to  a  specific  sum  which  he  cannot  sur- 
pass; therefore  if  your  Excellency  does  not  intend 
to  lower  your  first  demands,  and  that  very  consider- 
ably, you  had  much  better  not  give  him  permission 
to  come  at  all.  ''Do  you  want  a  peace  (Jabba)  for 
nothing?"  asked  the  Dey  somewhat  irritated.  "No, 
Effendi,"  I  replied,  "but  we  want  peace  on  the  same 
terms  that  the  Dutch  obtained  peace,  which  would 
give  the  president  of  the  United  States  an  oppor- 
tunity of  proving  to  you.  Excellency,  and  5^our 
family,  the  high  sense  he  entertains  of  your  justice 
and  moderation,  and  to  compensate  you  for  your 
influence  with  your  predecessor  in  our  favor,  although 
we  reaped  no  benefit  from  it  we  have  not  forgotten 
it."  "If  you  did  not  benefit  by  my  good  will  it  was 
your  own  fault,"  replied  the  Dey;  "but  what  good 
did  you  ever  do  us  to  expect  to  obtain  peace  o;i  the 
same  terms  as  Holland,  who  has  been  supplying  us 
with  stores  for  a  century  when  we  were  at  war  with 
Spain."  "Permit  me  to  ask  your  Excellency  what 
harm  did  we  ever  do  you?  Have  you  not  taken  thir- 
teen sail  of  our  vessels,  and  one  hundred  and  thirty- 
one  of  our  people  whom  you  have  made  slaves,  and 
have  I  not  been  more  than  ten  years  in  captivity, 
which  I  would  consider  as  time  well  spent,  if  I 
could  be  the  medium  of  establishing  peace  and  har- 
mony between  our  nations."     "So  you  may,"  replied 


l60  THE     CAPTIVES. 

the  Dey,  "but  you  must  pay  for  it,"  his  mustachios 
curled  indicative  of  a  squall,  as  O'Brien  would  say. 
"We  wish  to  pay  you,  Effendi,  and  to  make  you  feel 
how  much  we  respect  and  esteem  you;  but  not  on 
the  same  scale  as  Spain,  Portugal  and  Naples,  who 
have  been  at  war  with  you  since  the  commencement 
of  the  Hegira.  In  our  country  we  have  no  relig- 
ious test,  nor  enmity  against  those  of  your  religion; 
you  may  build  Mosques,  hoist  your  flag  on  the 
tower,  chant  the  symbol  of  your  faith  in  public, 
without  any  person  interrupting  you,  Mussulmen 
may  enjoy  places  of  honor  or  trust  under  the  govern- 
ment, or  even  become  president  of  the  United  States, 
and  ought  not  these  circumstances  to  be  taken  into 
consideration?  You  do  not  enjoy  any  of  those  priv- 
ileges in  any  Roman  Catholic  country  or  indeed  in 
any  other;  and  if  you  make  those  nations  pay  high 
for  peace,  it  is  on  the  principle  of  retaliation,  because 
they  have  made  you  pay  millions  in  defensive  meas- 
ures; but  we  have  never  been  at  war  with  you."  The 
Dey's  whiskers  gradually  assumed  their  natural  posi- 
tion. "Let  him  come,"  answered  the  Dey,  'T  will 
hear  what  he  has  to  say  himself."  I  informed  the 
Dey  that  my  word  would  not  be  sufficient;  that  it 
would  be  necessary  to  send  him  a  passport,  under 
the  seal  of  the  Regency,  for  his  security.  "That  is 
not  customary,"  answered  the  Dey,  "and  has  never 
been  granted  by  this  Regency  to  the  Ambassadors 
of  any  nation;  it  would  look  as  if  we  were  suing  for 
peace  and  not  them."  I  informed  his  Excellency  that 
it  need  not  be  made  out  in  Turkish,  that  I  would 
write  one  in  English  which  would  answer  the   same 


NEGOTIATIONS  IN  BARBARY.  l6l 

purpose  as  we  would  keep  it  a  profound  secret  from 
every  person  but  those  immediately  concerned. 
After  a  little  more  persuation  the  Dey  gave  me  per- 
mission. I  wrote  it  in  his  apartment  and  put  the 
seal  to  it,  kissed  the  Dey's  hand  and  retired.  I  then 
wrote  a  letter  to  Mr.  Donaldson  and  enclosed  the 
passport  and  gave  them  to  Mr.  Skjoldebrand,  who 
chartered  a  Ragusean  Brig  for  $400  to  go  to  Alicant 
and  bring  Mr.  Donaldson  to  Algiers,  and  at  2  p.  m.  of 
the  same  day,  I  went  down  to  the  Marine  and  put  our 
dispatches  on  board,  prohibited  the  Captain  from 
taking  letters  from  any  person,  and  waited  until  the 
Captain  of  the  Port  hauled  his  vessel  out  of  the  mole 
and  made  sail. 

Mr.  Valliere  had  sent  to  request  that  I  would  call 
on  him,  but  I  had  not  time.  I  saw  him  in  the  after- 
noon at  the  Swedish  Consul's.  He  requested  me  to 
do  him  the  favor  to  explain  Mr.  Donaldson's  letter 
to  him,  which  I  told  him  I  would  do  with  pleasure, 
and  indeed  that  I  thought  I  could  do  it  pretty  cor- 
rectly without  looking  at  it,  for  its  contents  were 
well  known  in  the  Bagnios — slave  prisons.  After  I 
had  explained  the  letter  to  him  he  turned  to  O'Brien 
and  asked  who  had  chartered  the  Ragusean  vessel, 
who,  in  order  to  exonerate  Mr.  Skjoldebrand,  who 
did  not  wish  to  be  known  in  the  business  publicly, 
answered  that  he  had  chartered  her  himself.  Valliere, 
with  a  great  deal  of  annoyance,  said  "pray  sir  what 
is  the  reason  that  I  was  not  made  acquainted  with 
that  transaction?"  O'Brien  answered  that  he  did 
not  consider  himself  under  any  obligation  to  consult 
him.    Valliere  said  that  he  had  treated  him  with  great 


l62  THE    CAPTIVES. 

disrespect,  and  O'Brien  replied  not  with  as  much  as 
his  conduct  to  us  merited,  and  retired. 

I  was  sorry  in  this  stage  of  the  business  that 
O'Brien  had  affronted  the  French  Consul;  but  really 
his  conduct  towards  us  had  been  so  exceptionable 
that  he  deserved  a  check,  and  as  he  voluntarily 
placed  himself  under  the  lee  of  O'Brien's  guns  I  do 
not  wonder  that  he  got  a  broadside. 

The  celerity  of  those  transactions  prevented  our 
enemies  from  calculating  consequences  or  having 
time  to  oppose  our  measures;  for  in  six  hours  after 
we  received  Donaldson's  letters,  the  answer,  with 
the  Dey's  passport,  were  on  their  passage  to  Alicant. 
I  was  very  sensible  of  the  risk  I  run  in  offering 
myself  to  the  Dey  to  guarantee  not  only  his  arrival 
but  the  extent  of  his  powers.  Had  he  refused  to 
come  to  Algiers  I  should  not  have  fared  well.  The 
Dey,  like  other  chief  magistrates,  if  the  measure  was 
attended  with  success,  would  assume  the  credit,  but 
if  the  reverse,  would  throw  the  stigma  on  those  who 
recommended  or  promoted  it.  Skjoldebrand,  and 
every  one  else,  kept  behind  the  curtain.  I  was  the 
only  ostensible  person  employed  on  the  business, 
and  I  was  entirely  in  the  Dey's  power,  and  he  had 
often  been  disappointed  by  the  United  States  before, 
and  his  patience  was  almost  exhausted.  His  Minis- 
ters disappointed  of  their  expectations  would  induce 
the  Dey  to  believe  that  he  had  been  trifled  with,  and 
consequently  insulted,  and  would  appear  ridiculous 
in  the  eyes  of  his  people;  and  the  blame  must  have 
fallen  on  somebody;  and  who  could  it  have  fallen 
on  but  me,  who  was  the  only  person  exposed,  and  it 


NEGOTIATIONS  IN  BARBARY.  163 

is  certain  that  if  either  of  the  aforesaid  events  had 
taken  place,  I  would  have  lost  my  head,  or  probably, 
my  body  would  have  been  made  a  luminary  to  light 
my  soul  in  its  ascent  from  the  Jews'  burial  place  to 
the  mansions  of  bliss  in  Mahomet's  paradise.  Peter 
Erick  Skjoldebrand  one  day  after  peace  took  place, 
in  conversation  with  Mr.  Donaldson,  mentioned  the 
great  risk  I  had  run.  "Yes,"  answered  he,  "much 
greater  than  you  imagine,  for  I  had  twice  determined 
to  send  the  vessel  away  without  him."  "If  you  had," 
said  Erick,  "poor  Cathcart  would  have  been  sacri- 
ficed." "Well,  if  he  had,"  said  Donaldson,  "the  world 
would  have  gone  on  just  the  same  way  without  him. 
If  he  is  fool  enough  to  run  such  risks  he  must  abide 
by  the  consequences  and  no  one  will  thank  him  for 
his  zeal."  What  a  prophecy!  how  it  has  been 
verified  since;  but  I  did  not  believe  the  United  States 
would  be  classed  in  the  number — the  people  are  not 
ungrateful. 

I  had  now  the  influence  of  the  Spanish  Consul, 
Don  Juan  Garrigo  and  the  Father  Administrator, 
who  were  all  agents  of  Portugal  to  combat.  The 
British  Consul  was  an  Englishman,  and  consequently 
an  enemy,  but  fortunately  had  not  much  energy  or 
influence.  The  French  Consul  did  not  openly 
oppose  us,  but  the  intrigues  of  the  agents  of  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Marseilles  had  great 
weight,  who  were  opposed  to  the  United  States 
obtaining  peace  with-the  Barbary  States,  because  it 
would  interfere  with  their  interests  in  the  carrying 
and  in  the  grain  trade.  The  Dutch  and  Swedes  had 
lately  renewed  their  treaties  of  peace,  and  were  not 


164  THE     CAPTIVES. 

in  much  danger  of  any  alteration  taking  place  at 
present,  the  latter  were  our  private  friends  but  de- 
clined any  public  agency  in  our  affairs. 

Denmark  and  Venice  fearful  of  the  blow  falling 
on  one  of  them — as  it  seldom  happens  that  peace  is 
made  with  one  nation  without  the  Consul  of  another 
being  sent  away,  as  the  prelude  to  war — contented 
themselves  with  raising  reports  prejudicial  to  our 
interests,  and  to  induce  the  Dey  to  believe  that  the 
United  States  had  neither  the  means  nor  the  inclina- 
tion to  comply  with  his  demands.  Thus  situated 
when  Donaldson's  letters  arrived,  which  acknowl- 
edged that  he  had  powers,  although  they  were  not 
defined,  and  knowing  that  a  more  favorable  oppor- 
tunity than  the  present  would  not  probably  occur 
for  a  number  of  years,  and  believing  the  Dey  was 
really  disposed  to  abandon  the  extravagant  terms  he 
had  heretofore  insisted  on,  I  determined  to  run  any 
risk  to  bring  Mr.  Donaldson  to  Algiers  as  soon  as 
possible,  and  thus  to  prevent  the  agents  of  other 
nations  from  having  time  to  injure  our  interests  by 
intrigue,  which  under  other  circumstances  would 
appear  to  have  been  too  precipitate.  The  Dey,  in  the 
meantime,  informed  me  of  the  suggestions  of  our 
enemies  which  gave  me  an  opportunity  to  counteract 
them. 

On  the  20th  of  August,  having  previously  ob- 
tained permission  from  the  Dey,  I  bespoke  a  neat 
little  house  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Swedish  Consul  for 
the  reception  of  Mr.  Donaldson  on  his  arrival;  but 
Peter  Erick  requested  me  as  a  very  particular  favor 
not  to   take  a  house  so  near  theirs,  as  it  would  be 


NEGOTIATIONS  IN  BARBARY.  165 

considered  as  a  preconcerted  plan  by  the  rest  of  the 
Consuls,  and  that  he  might  as  well  receive  him  in 
his  own  house,  which  he  would  be  very  happy  to  do, 
were  it  not  for  the  jealousy  of  the  other  Consuls, 
who,  should  any  of  them  be  sent  away,  would  not 
fail  to  represent  to  their  Court  that  they  had  aided 
us  to  procure  peace;  that  the  Danish  and  Swedish 
Consuls  had  orders  to  assist  each  other  in  difficult 
cases;  and  that  if  the  Danish  Consul  should  be  sent 
away  as  a  prelude  to  war,  and  should  he  have  it  in 
his  power  to  complain  of  their  assisting  us,  it  would 
be  very  prejudicial  to  his  brother,  who  would  be 
censured  by  his  Court;  for  that  reason  they  were 
obliged  to  be  circumspect,  but  that  they  would  at  all 
times  render  us  assistance,  in  a  private  way,  that  they 
could  consistant  with  the  interest  of  their  own  nation. 
I  therefore  complied  with  his  request,  and  the  next 
day  informed  his  Excellency  that  I  could  not  pro- 
cure a  house  for  the  Ambassador,  and  requested  to 
be  permitted  to  make  use  of  one  belonging  to  the 
Regency.  He  said  it  was  not  customary,  but  that 
he  would  pay  the  Ambassador  of  America  as  much 
respect  as  possible,  was  it  for  no  other  reason  than 
to  pique  the  British  who  were  our  inveterate  enemies 
and  on  very  bad  terms  with  him,  and  desired  me  to 
ask  the  Vikilhadge  of  the  palace  for  the  keys  of  the 
Caliph's  new  house,  which  I  received  and  gave  them 
to  Micaiah  Baccri,  to  have  cleaned  and  whitewashed, 
and  I  furnished  two  rooms  at  my  own  expense,  for 
which  I  received  little  thanks. 

The    Dey  ever  impatient  began  to  suspect  that 
Donaldson  would  not  come  to  Algiers,  which  gave 


l66  THE    CAPTIVES. 

me  an  opportunity  to  find  a  door  to  creep  out  in 
case  he  did  not  come.  When  Donaldson  wrote  to 
us,  he  mentioned  that  he  had  intended  to  have  sent 
Mr.  Philip  Sloan  with  his  letter;  but  that  the  governor 
of  Alicant  had  refused  to  let  him  embark  without 
receiving  an  order  from  his  Court  at  Madrid.  This 
may  serve  to  show  the  interest  which  Spain  took  in 
the  affairs  of  Portugal,  and  the  desire  she  had  to 
frustrate  our  peace.  Sloan  had  been  one  of  th^^ 
Dey's  attendants,  and  was  redeemed  by  the  Dutch, 
and  had  taken  letters  to  America  and  returned  to 
Europe  with  Col.  Humphreys.  When  I  informed 
the  Dey  that  the  governor  of  Alicant  had  prevented 
him  from  coming  over  in  the  packet,  and  told  him 
that  Sloan  had  been  in  America  and  had  returned 
with  the  Ambassador,  and  consequently,  had  he 
arrived  he  could  have  given  him  an  account  of  the 
causes  which  had  prevented  his  coming  in  person  to 
Algiers,  he  was  so  exasperated  that  he  ordered  the 
town  cryer  to  proclaim  that — except  the  vessels  that 
were  then  loading  in  Port — no  person  should  ship 
even  an  onion  for  Spain,  and  that  all  intercourse 
should  be  suspended.  I  found  it  to  our  advantage 
to  foment  this  discord,  and  told  the  Dey  that  in  case 
our  Ambassador  did  not  come,  it  would  be  in  conse- 
quence of  the  Spaniards,  informing  him  that  the 
terms  exacted  for  peace  from  the  United  States  were 
nearly  the  same  as  those  demanded  from  Portugal, 
which  he  had  refused  to  lower,  and  that  he,  supposing 
his  Excellency  would  not  be  more  favorable  to  the 
United  States,  thought  it  would  be  useless  for  him 
to  come  at  all;  but  that  what  I  said  was  only  con- 


NEGOTIATIONS    IN    BARBARY.  167 

jecture,  that  he  might  come  yet.  **Did  not  I  tell 
you,"  said  the  Dey,  "that  those  that  add  can  subtract, 
and  that  let  the  Ambassador  come  and  we  would 
agree;  did  not  I  tell  the  agents  of  Portugal  that  I 
would  not  abate  one  asper  of  my  first  demand,  and 
are  those  answers  the  same?  Can  you  see  no  differ- 
ence in  them?"  I  said  that  I  saw  a  vast  difference 
in  them.  "Then  why  did  you  not  inform  your 
Ambassador  of  it — what  do  you  think  I  said  it  for?" 
I  answered  that  I  did  not  find  myself  responsible  or 
justifiable  in  divulging  anything  his  Excellency 
might  say  without  receiving  his  express  orders  so  to 
do.  "As  a  general  rule  you  are  right,"  answered  he, 
"but  in  this  case  you  might  have  deviated.  But  I 
see  you  have  a  head,  and  your  Ambassador  will 
receive  information  from  elsewhere,  although  you 
may  not  divulge  my  secrets,  I  am  going  to  prayers," 
said  he. 

From  this  date  to  the  2nd  of  September,  I  had 
daily  conferences  with  the  Dey,  who  had  become 
impatient  and  doubtful  whether  the  Ambassador 
would  come  or  not.  I  advised  his  Excellency  to 
have  patience,  at  least  until  the  vessel  returned;  that 
common  politeness  would  induce  the  Ambassador  to 
send  an  answer,  and  if  he  did  not  come,  if  the  Dey 
would  state  his  ultimatum,  I  would  take  it  over  to 
Alicant  myself.  "Yes,  and  never  come  back  again" 
said  the  Dey.  Your  Excellency  has  never  had  any 
reason  to  doubt  my  veracity — I  would  do  what  I 
promised;  but  my  countrymen  remaining  behind  me 
is  a  sufficient  guarantee  for  my  ransom,  besides  I 
could   have  been  free  long  ago  if  I   had   thought 


l68  THE    CAPTIVES. 

proper  to  accept  my  ransom  from  the  British.  I 
then  explained  two  instances  to  him  of  my  refusing 
to  be  redeemed,  which  I  could  easily  perceive  in- 
creased his  good  opinion  of  me.  "But  what  terms 
could  I  state  that  would  make  the  Ambassador 
come?"  I  don't  know  precisely  but  what  the  United 
States  expects  a  peace  on  the  same  terms  as  the 
Dutch,  and  will  make  you  a  private  present  of  $ioo,- 

000  and  $50,000  to  your  family,  as  a  mark  of  your 
friendship  and  an  acknowledgment  of  the  favors 
they  have  or  may  receive  from  your  Excellency. 
"It  is  a  mere  trifle"  said  the  Dey,  and  got  up  from 
his  seat,  not  in  a  bad  humor,  as  his  whiskers  did  not 
curl  neither  did  his  beard  stand  erect,  and  I  thought 

1  could  perceive  a  latent  spark  of  satisfaction 
illumine  his  countenance.  I  don't  think  I  was 
deceived,  for  I  have  been  in  the  habit  of  reading  his 
countenance  and  he  was  a  man  wholly  governed  by 
his  passions,  and  I  am  as  certain,  that  had  I  had 
power  delegated  to  me  that  at  that  moment  I  could 
have  obtained  peace  and  the  ransom  of  our  people 
for  $450,000,  and  this  I  communicated  to  Messrs. 
Skjoldebrand,  who  for  the  first  time  believed  that 
peace  would  be  the  result  of  the  negotiation  if  not 
too  long  delayed. 

In  this  train  were  affairs  when  I  was  relieved  from 
great  anxiety  by  the  appearance  of  the  Ragusian 
vessel  we  had  sent  for  Donaldson,  with  an  American 
flag  at  the  main  and  a  flag  of  truce  at  the  fore,  and 
her  own  colors  flying.  I  immediately  informed  the 
Dey  that  the  vessel  was  in  sight  and  that  from  the 
colors  flying  I  knew  the  Ambassador  was  on  board. 


NEGOTIATIONS    IN    BARBARY.  I69 

« 

"1  .im  glad  of  it,"  said  he,  "bring  him  on  shore  to  the 
house  prepared  for  him.  I  am  going  to  my  country 
seat  to  see  my  wife."  Her  ladyship  will  not  be 
forgot  in  the  terms  of  peace,  answered  I — the  Dey 
looked  over  his  shoulder  and  smiled. 

The  Brig  anchored  in  the  bay,  and  while  going 
down  to  the  Marine  to  get  a  boat  to  bring  Donaldson 
on  shore,  I  was  met  by  Captain  O'Brien  and  Micaiah 
Cohen  Baccri,  who  wished  to  go  on  board  with  me; 
the  former  was  stopped  as  no  slave  except  the  Dey's 
chief  clerk  is  allowed  to  go  out  of  the  mole,  but 
upon  my  becoming  responsible  for  his  return  he  was 
permitted  to  go  with  me,  and  on  Thursday  the  3rd 
day  of  September,  1795,  Mr.  Donaldson  landed  and 
was  safely  deposited  in  the  house  prepared  for  him 
at  3  p.  M. 

Joseph  Donaldson,  Jr.,  Esq.,  was  a  man  upwards 
of  50  years  old,  of  a  forbidding  countenance  and 
remarkably  surly.  His  disposition  was  more  soured 
by  a  fit  of  the  gout  and  the  roughness  of  the  pave- 
ment, besides  the  length  of  the  walk  was  sufficient 
to  have  tired  the  patience  of  a  man  in  good  health, 
followed  as  we  were  by  a  crowd  of  people  to  see 
what  sort  of  an  animal  the  American  Ambassador 
was,  and  Donaldson  had  an  unconquerable  antipathy 
to  be  stared  at.  He  was  dressed  in  decent  plain 
clothes,  a  cocked  hat  such  as  was  worn  in  the  Revo- 
lutionary war,  much  resembling  those  that  are 
painted  to  grace  the  portraits  of  Frederick  H.,  his 
right  leg  muffled  in  flannel,  shod  with  a  large  velvet 
slipper,  and  his  right  arm  leaning  on  a  crutch  to 
support   him.     The   weather   was   very   warm;    the 


170  THE     CAPTIVES. 

agony  which  Donaldson  was  in  occasioned  by  the 
gout,  and  the  mortification  which  he  felt  at  being 
stared  at,  together  with  some  children  running 
across  him,  put  him  in  a  paroxysm  of  rage  which  he 
endeavored  to  suppress,  while  the  perspiration  ran 
down  both  sides  of  his  face  and  almost  blinded  him. 
His  ludicrous  appearance,  joined  to  the  contortions 
of  his  countenance,  and  the  observations  of  the 
Moors  who  are  fond  of  giving  nick-names  to  all  that 
have  any  defects,  excited  my  risible  faculties  so 
much,  that  it  was  with  the  greatest  exertion  that  I 
confined  them  within  the  borders  of  common  decency. 
The  idea,  at  the  same  time  striking  me,  that  if 
Donaldson  had  a  patch  on  his  eye  and  O'Brien  a 
wooden  leg,  that  they  would  be  Commodore 
Trunnion  and  Lieutenant  Hatchway  personified,  did 
not  lessen  the  excitement.  At  length  we  arrived  at 
the  Caliph's  new  house,  now  Mr.  Donaldson's  new 
residence,  and  he  had  to  climb  up  a  long  flight  of 
marble  steps  of  stairs  to  his  apartment.  The  cold  of 
the  marble  increased  the  pain  he  was  in,  when  he 
threw  himself  on  a  couch  his  hat  on  one  side  and  his 
crutch  on  the  other,  and  uttered  a  string  of  ejacula- 
tions and  execrations,  so  equally  mixed  together 
that  I  could  not  discover  which  predominated. 
"What  is  the  matter?"  said  the  Jew,  with  a  look  of 
astonishment.  "Nothing  at  all,"  said  O'Brien,  "the 
Ambassador  is  only  saying  his  prayers  and  giving 
God  thanks  for  his  safe  arrival."  "His  devotion  is 
very  fervent,"  replied  Micaiah.  By  this  time  a  good 
dinner  which  I  had  ordered  from  my  tavern  arrived, 
to  which  with  some  fruits  of  the  season  and  some 


NEGOTIATIONS    IN    BARBARY.  I7I 

good  wine  we  sat  down.  Mr.  Donaldson  appeared 
more  reconciled  to  his  situation  and  the  pain  of  the 
gout  was  considerably  abated.  After  dark  Peter 
Erick  called  to  see  him  and  staid  to  a  late  hour, 
when  our  affairs  were  discussed  from  the  arrival  of 
John  Lamb  in  1786,  to  the  present  time,  and  I  put 
him  in  possession  of  my  journal,  containing  all  the 
negotiations  that  had  taken  place  since  my  arrival  in 
Algiers  in  1785,  and  that  part  of  my  correspondence 
which  would  be  useful  to  him. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

On  Friday  the  4th  of  September,  being  Mussul- 
man's Sabbath,  no  business  is  done  in  the  palace; 
nevertheless  knowing  the  utility  of  dispatch  in  order 
to  prevent  our  enemies  from  having  time  for  intrigue, 
I  obtained  permission  from  the  Dey  to  present  Mr. 
Donaldson  to  him  in  the  morning.  At  7  A.  m.  he 
presented  his  credentials  which  I  read  and  explained 
to  the  Dey,  and  observed  that  all  I  had  promised  to 
the  Dey  had  been  complied  with;  the  Ambassador 
had  arrived  and  had  power  to  treat  for  peace.  "Yes," 
replied  the  Dey,  "but  peace  is  not  made  yet."  "That 
depends  upon  your  Excellency  entirely,"  I  said;  "if 
you  ask  more  than  we  have  to  give  no  peace  will  be 
made,  but  if  you  ask  within  our  limits,  peace  may  be 
concluded  within  four  hours."  "It  is  Jima  (Sabbath)  " 
replied  the  Dey,  "we  will  see  about  these  affairs  to- 
morrow."    We  retired  after  compliments. 

There  were  present  at  this  audience,  Micaiah 
Baccri,  Mr.  Sloan,  and  the  Swedish  Consul's  Drogo- 
man,  who  attended  to  get  a  present  should  peace  be 
concluded.  Nevertheless,  at  9  a.  m.,  the  Dey  sent 
and  asked  me  if  I  was  certain  that  the  Ambassador 
had  full  power  to  treat  with  him  on  terms  of  peace. 
I  replied  that  I  had  read  and  explained  his  creden- 
tials to  his  Excellency,  and  that  therefore  he  was  as 


NEGOTIATIONS    IN    BARBARY.  1 73 

well  informed  on  the  subject  as  I  was.  "Then  take 
to  him  the  terms  that  you  made  out  by  my  orders 
last  year,  and  let  me  know  what  he  thinks  of  them." 
"He  will  reject  them,  and  if  your  Excellency  does  not 
lower  your  demands  to  what  has  been  paid  by  other 
small  nations,  he  will  go  about  his  business  and 
nothing  v/ill  be  done,"  I  replied.  "I  command  you 
instantly  to  take  those  demands  to  your  Ambassador, 
and  to  bring  me  his  answer  and  his  proposals  in  re- 
turn and  don't  say  another  word,  I  will  have  this 
business  settled  immediately."  When  I  went  to  kiss 
the  Dey's  hand,  my  foot  slipped  on  the  marble 
pavement.  "Can  you  not  stand?"  said  the  Dey.  "Yes, 
but  the  weight  of  your  Excellency's  proposal  made 
me  stumble."  I  was  informed  afterwards  that  the 
Dey  laughed  heartily  at  this  reply,  and  told  it  to  his 
Ministers  after  peace  was  concluded.  I  took  the 
Dey's  first  proposals  to  Mr.  Donaldson,  amounting 
to  the  enormous  sum  of  $2,247,000  and  two  Frigates 
of  thirty-five  guns  each  for  peace,  an  annuity  of 
stores  to  the  value  of  12,00c  sequins  and  Ambassadors, 
Consular  and  bi-ennial  presents,  such  as  are  given  by 
Sweden,  Denmark  and  Holland.  .  Donaldson  was  in 
despair.  He  said  he  had  done  wrong  to  come  to 
Algiers  at  all;  that  any  offer  that  he  could  make 
would  be  an  insult  to  the  Dey;  and  that  he  therefore 
would  not  make  any.  Messrs.  Skjoldebrand, 
O'Brien,  and  myself  endeavord  to  persuade  him  to 
make  some  proposal  to  the  Dey,  be  it  ever  so  small, 
and  that  Cathcart  would  take  the  risk  upon  himself 
to  take  it  to  the  Dey.  I  answered  that  as  I  had  the 
Dey's  orders  to  bring  him  an  answer;  it  would  be 


174  '  THE     CAPTIVES. 

better  to  offer  him  something  than  not  to  offer  him 
anything,  and  advised  Mr.  Donaldson  to  read  the 
copies  of  my  last  letters  to  Montgomery,  and  after 
he  had  done  so  we  sat  down  in  conclave  and  pro- 
duced proposals  number  two,  which  offered  the  Dey 
;^543,000  for  peace  and  the  ransom  of  our  captives. 
I  took  the  proposal  to  the  Dey  accompanied  by  Mr. 
Sloan,  Micaiah  Cohen  Baccri  absolutely  refusing  to 
accompany  us.  He  said  the  offer  was  so  small,  in 
proportion  to  the  Dey's  demands,  that  he  would  not 
take  it  to  the  Dey  for  the  difference;  that  he  had 
not  forgotten  the  treatment  he  had  received,  when 
he  was  assisting  Holland  to  renew  her  treaty,  and 
that  he  was  determined  not  to  run  any  risk  in  future. 
This  put  me  in  mind  of  the  roasting  the  Dey  had 
promised  him,  and  putting  on  a  very  melancholy 
countenance,  I  requested  Mr.  Donaldson  that  in  case 
I  should  be  burned  and  he  escaped  a  roasting,  which 
I  would  endeavor  to  prevent  as  I  was  fond  of  good 
company,  I  requested  him  to  save  some  of  my  ashes 
and  send  them  to  the  museum  at  Philadelphia.  But 
Donaldson  did  not  like  the  joke  and  less  when  Peter 
Erick  informed  him  that  both  the  French  and 
Venitian  Consuls  had  been  threatened  as  well  as 
Micaiah  Baccri.  I  presented  proposals  number  two 
to  the  Dey,  and  explained  them  to  him;  he  first 
smiled  with  contempt  and  then  broke  out  in  a  rage. 
"What  do  you  mean  by  bringing  such  proposals  to 
me,"  said  the  Dey."  "Do  you  want  to  make  game 
of  me?"  No,  these  are  the  Ambassador's  proposals 
not  mine.  His  powers  are  limited  and  he  can  offer 
no  more  and  this  offer  is   more   than   you  got   from 


NEGOTIATIONS    IN    BARBARY.  1 75 

the  Dutch.  "You  are  a  liar,  and  an  Infidel,"  said 
this  tyrant.  "Your  Ambassador's  powers  are  not 
limited;  for  the  French  Consul  has  sent  to  inform 
me  that  he  has  carte  blanche  and  can  give  what  he 
pleases  for  peace."  If  your  Excellency  had  told  the 
French  Minister  that  he  was  a  liar  and  an  ignorant 
fellow  he  would  have  richly  deserved  it,  for  the 
president  of  the  United  States  has  not  the  power 
that  he  has  informed  you  our  Ambassador  has.  Our 
Divan  makes  the  appropriation  for  every  expenditure 
and  the  president  and  those  employed  by  him  can- 
not surpass  it;  therefore  the  Ambassador  has  offered 
all  that  he  is  authorized  to  give,  and  if  it  is  not 
accepted  he  has  no  alternative  but  to  wait  for  fresh 
instructions,  which  he  will  not  receive  in  less  than  a 
year;  that  the  French  Consul  had  frequently  in- 
formed me  that  he  would  not  intermeddle  with  our 
affairs  until  he  received  orders  from  his  government. 
"Has  he  received  any  now  to  embroil  our  affairs?"  I 
asked.  The  Dey  replied  "he  says  he  has  none  now, 
and  gave  me  this  information  from  motives  of 
friendship  only."  That  man  is  incapable  of  friend- 
ship, I  said;  may  be  he  wants  a  cargo  of  wheat  from 
you  as  he  did  when  you  returned  the  presents  to  him. 
Be  assured  that  he  has  some  sinister  views,  for  he  is 
esteemed  by  the  other  Consuls  as  a  mercenary  man, 
no  better  than  a  Jew  broker,  and  has  given  you  this 
false  information  from  private  pique;  because,  being 
informed  of  his  character  we  were  determined  to 
have  nothing  to  do  with  him,  and  I  begged  his 
Excellency  not  to  listen  to  such  malicious  reports  in 
future.      "Senza  feda,"  (without  faith)  said  the  Dey, 


176  THE    CAPTIVES. 

"you  have  not  been  so  long  in  Algiers  for  nothing. 
If  you  had  not  dictated  those  terms  how  should  that 
man,  who  only  arrived  in  Algiers  yesterday,  know 
how  to  appropriate  the  different  sums  specified  in 
his  proposals?"  I  replied  that  I  was  an  Amercan; 
that  I  drew  pay  from  my  country;  that  I  was  in  duty 
bound  to  give  our  Ambassador  all  the  information 
which  I  possessed;  but,  at  the  same  time,  as  a  grate- 
ful servant  of  the  Dey,  he  would  be  pleased  to 
observe  that  his  Excellency  and  his  family  had  been 
well  taken  care  of,  and  had  been  considered  our 
principal  and  indeed  only  friends.  "Read  your  pro- 
posal again,"  said  he,  I  complied  "^100,000  for  me, 
and  ^50,000  for  my  family;  sequins  you  mean?"  "No 
sir,  dollars."  "Go  out  of  my  sight  immediately  thou 
dog  without  a  soul,"  said  he  in  a  passion,  "and  never 
presume  to  bring  such  trifling  terms  into  me  again 
under  pain  of  my  displeasure" — i.  e.  a  bastinadoing 
at  least. 

We  retired  to  Mr.  Donaldson's  house  where  we 
met  Mr.  Skjoldebrand  and  O'Brien  and  informed 
them  of  the  result  of  our  conference.  Donaldson 
said  the  business  was  at  an  end;  that  he  had  gone  as 
far  as  his  instructions  and  would  go  no  farther.  Mr. 
Skjoldebrand  advised  him  to  advance  something 
more  even  if  it  should  be  a  trifle,  as  the  Dey  was  a 
very  capricious  and  passionate  man,  and  was  he  to 
be  offended  we  would  probably  never  have  so  good 
an  opportunity  to  establish  peace,  not  only  with 
Algiers  but  with  all  the  Barbary  States,  again;  and 
that  considering  the  magnitude  of  the  object  meant 
to  secure,  he  was  of  the  opinion,  and  we  all  joined 


NEGOTIATIONS    IN    BARBARY.  I77 

with  him,  that  the  negotiation  ought  not  to  be 
broken  off  for  a  few  thousand  dollars.  Donaldson 
said  that  he  could  not  give  one  dollar  more  let  the 
consequences  be  what  they  would.  Then  said  I,  Mr. 
Donaldson,  the  sooner  you  pack  up  your  clothes  the 
better,  for  I  assure  you  that  peace  is  not  attainable 
on  your  terms,  although  it  is  probable  it  may  be  for 
forty  or  fifty  thousand  dollars  more.  At  2  p.  m.  the 
Dey  sent  for  me  and  scolded  like  a  virago  for  having 
the  presumption  to  bring  such  terms  from  Mr- 
Donaldson,  and  accused  me  of  having  coalesced 
with  the  lame  Ambassador  to  trifle  with  him,  and  to 
insult  him.  I  told  the  Dey  plainly  that  I  was  placed 
in  a  very  disagreeable  situation;  that  he  accused  me 
of  being  partial  to  the  Ambassador,  and  the  Ambas- 
sador seemed  to  think  that  I  espoused  his  cause — 
the  fact  is  I  have  neither  done  the  one  or  the  other. 
I  knew  my  country  wished  for  peace,  and  I  en- 
deavored to  procure  it  for  her  by  all  the  means  in 
my  power;  that  by  my  persuasion  Mr.  Donaldson 
had  offered  at  once  all  he  had  authority  to  give,  and 
did  not  stand  huckstering  like  a  Jew;  that  he  might 
probably  be  worth  forty  or  fifty  thousand  dollars  of 
his  own  private  property,  which  I  was  persuaded  he 
would  run  the  risk  of  losing  could  that  procure 
peace;  that  I  would  run  the  risk  of  all  I  was  worth, 
about  $10,000,  but  that  I  considered  it  extremely 
hard  to  be  accused  wrongfully  of  partialities  which 
did  not  exist.  The  Dey  answered  by  desiring  me  to 
sit  down  and  write,  when  he  dictated  proposals 
number  three  amounting  to  ;^982,ooo,  which  was  a 
pretty  good  fall  off  from  his  first  proposals.      I  took 


178  THE    CAPTIVES. 

these  to  Mr.  Donaldson  who  rejected  them.  Messrs. 
Skjoldebrand,  O'Brien  and  Sloan  endeavored  to  per- 
suade him  to  advance  something  on  his  first  proposal, 
which  he  absolutely  refused  to  do.  He  desired  me 
to  inform  the  Dey  that  he  would  not  give  one  dollar 
more  for  peace.  I  told  him  the  consequence  would 
be  that  the  Dey  would  get  in  a  passion,  and  that  he 
would  be  ordered  out  of  the  country,  and  that  I 
probably  would  receive  a  regalo  of  five  or  six 
hundred  bastinadoes  on  the  soles  of  the  feet  for  the 
service  I  had  rendered  him.  He  said  if  he  was 
ordered  out  of  the  country,  he  had  no  remedy  but 
to  go,  and  that  if  I  received  a  bastinadoing,  I  would 
have  the  consolation  of  having  received  it  for  having 
endeavored  to  promote  the  interest  of  my  country. 
I  answered  that  as  he  seemed  so  indifferent  to  my 
fate  I  requested  him  to  send  Sloan  or  Micaiah  into 
the  palace  with  his  answer  to  the  Dey.  They  both 
refused  to  go,  and  said  the  Dey  had  sent  me  with, 
the  proposals  and  had  ordered  me  to  take  the  ans- 
wer to  him,  and  that  they  would  not  take  such  an 
answer  to  the  Dey  for  the  whole  difference  between 
the  Dey's  demand  and  Mr.  Donaldson's  offer.  I 
was  piqued  a  good  deal,  and  in  fact  was  under  the 
necessity  of  taking  the  answer  to  the  Dey;  but  in 
order  to  mortify  Donaldson  for  his  ill-timed  obsti- 
nacy, I  told  him  that  I  would  endeavor  to  reverse 
the  tables  on  him;  that  I  had  property  enough  to  pay 
my  ransom  or  would  be  redeemed  by  Portugal,  if  I 
thought  proper  to  espouse  their  cause;  and  that  I 
would  place  him  in  a  position  to  receive  the  basti- 
nadoes which  he  thought  so  light  about,  and  that  he 


NEGOTIATIONS    IN    BARBARY.  1 79 

might   console   himself   by   knowing  that  it  was  an 
excellent  cure  for  the  gout. 

I  took  Donaldson's  answer  to  the  Dey;  he 
seemed  exasperated  to  a  high  degree,  and  threatened 
to  give  me  five  hundred  bastinadoes  if  I  ever  came 
to  speak  to  him  on  the  subject  again,  and  desired  me 
to  embark  the  Tupal  (lame)  Ambassador  on  board 
the  vessel  he  came  in  the  next  morning  at  daylight, 
and  tell  him  to  leave  the  Regency  without  delay,  as 
he  would  permit  no  person  to  remain  here  to  trifle 
with  him  as  he  had  done.  I  found  that  this  was  an 
improper  time  to  remonstrate  with  the  Dey,  and 
deferred  any  farther  communication  on  the  subject 
until  the  morning  and  went  and  gave  the  Dey's 
message  to  Donaldson,  and  told  him  if  he  wished  to 
save  himself  from  disgrace  he  would  attend  to  the 
Dey's  orders,  and  wished  him  a  good  evening  and  a 
pleasant  passage.  Skjoldebrand  and  O'Brien  re- 
quested me  to  stay  a  little  longer,  which  I  refused, 
until  Donaldson  sent  Sloan  to  request  me  not  to  be 
in  such  a  hurry,  that  he  wanted  to  speak  with  me. 
I  returned  when  Mr.  Skjoldebrand  again  endeavored 
to  persuade  him  not  to  break  of  the  negotiation  for 
a  few  thousand  dollars;  to  consider  how  soon  the 
United  States  would  be  reimbursed  the  sum  paid  for 
peace  by  the  trade  of  the  Mediterranean,  and  the 
possibility  of  Portugal  concluding  a  peace  or  a  truce 
which  would  open  the  Straits  of  Gibralter  to  the 
excursions  of  the  Cruisers  of  Algiers,  and  be  the 
means  of  capturing  a  number  of  our  vessels  and 
enslaving  our  citizens,  who  must  be  redeemed  some 
time  or  another.     Donaldson   seemed  a  little  more 


l80  THE    CAPTIVES. 

flexible  but  said  he  wondered  he  had  not  seen  the 
French  Consul  since  he  arrived.  We  all  apjreed  that 
it  was  extraordinary  that  he  had  not  called  on  him 
as  a  matter  of  courtesey;  but  I  informed  him  that  he 
could  expect  no  favor  or  assistance  from  him,  for 
that  he  had  already  informed  the  Dey  that  he  had 
carte  blanche.  He  doubted  it.  I  pledged  him  my 
honor  to  prove  it,  and  requested  him  to  send  for  the 
French  Consul  and  invite  him  to  drink  tea  with 
him.  This  he  refused  on  point  of  etiquette,  and 
after  informing  him  of  Valliere's  conduct  and  char- 
acter and  the  events  which  prevented  him  from  hav- 
ing any  influence  at  all,  even  if  he  had  been  well  dis- 
posed towards  us,  we  informed  him  unanimously 
that  if  Valliere  assumed  any  agency  in  our  affairs 
we  would  withdraw  ours  immediately.  We  then 
informed  Mr.  Donaldson  that  he  had  not  placed 
that  confidence  in  us  which  we  merited;  that  he  had 
never  informed  us  of  the  extent  of  his  power.  Sloan 
said  that  Col.  Humphreys  had  stated  to  him  that  if 
Mr.  Donaldson  should  exceed  his  orders  fifty  or 
sixty  thousand  dollars,  it  would  be  of  no  moment, 
considering  the  magnitude  and  importance  of  the 
object  in  view,  and  that  therefore  as  citizens  of  the 
United  States  who  had  nothing  in  view  but  the  inter- 
est of  our  country,  we  did  not  think  ourselves  justi- 
fiable in  letting  the  negotiation  be  broken  off  while 
we  had  it  in  our  power  to  prevent  it.  I  therefore 
proposed  to  request  the  Dey  to  permit  Mr.  Donald- 
son to  remain  here  until  Mr.  Sloan  went  to  Col. 
Humphreys  and  brought  fresh  instructions.  Skjol- 
debrand  said  that,  if  there  was  no  other  alternative. 


NEGOTIATIONS  IN  BARBARY.  l8l 

even  this  would  be  better  than  to  break  off  the  nego- 
tiation altogether;  but  that  the  Dey  would  increase 
his  demands  on  a  supposition  that  Col.  Humphreys 
had  increased  the  latitude  given  to  Donaldson.  He 
at  last  acknowledged  that  he  did  not  imagine  that 
the  Dey  would  have  acted  so  precipitately,  or  that 
Cathcart  had  so  much  energy,  or  had  exerted  him- 
self so  much  as  he  is  now  convinced  he  has  done; 
that  he  was  limited  to  ;^65o,ooo  including  all  expenses, 
and  that  farther  he  could  not  go.  I  answered  that 
if  he  would  leave  it  to  me,  I  would  guarantee  the 
peace  and  ransom  for  fifty  or  sixty  thousand  dollars 
less.  This  was  agreed  to,  and  Micaiah  was  sent  to 
the  first  Secretary  of  State  to  insure  his  influence  by 
the  promise  of  a  present  to  prevent  him  from  oppos- 
ing peace;  but  the  Dey  never  consulted  him,  and 
proposals  number  four  amounting  to  ^585,000  were 
made  out,  signed  and  sealed  for  me  to  take  to  the 
Dey  early  in  the  morning,  at  the  time  Mr.  Donaldson 
was  ordered  to  embark.  Sloan  and  Micaiah  prom- 
ised to  go  with  me  but  said  they  would  not  interfere. 
This  I  consented  to  for  I  had  discovered  that  Mr. 
Donaldson  seemed  distrustful  of  my  influence,  and  I 
wished  to  have  witness  to  my  conduct. 

After  our  mode  of  proceeding  was  adjusted,  I 
requested  Mr.  Donaldson  to  give  orders  to  his 
servants  to  pack  up  his  clothes  and  to  make  a  bustle, 
as  if  he  was  really  going  to  embark  in  the  morning, 
and  Mr.  Skjoldebrand  promised  to  send  a  message 
to  Bashara,  who  acted  as  agent  for  Ragusa,to  request 
him  to  give  orders  to  the  captain  who  brought  Don- 
aldson here,  to  hold  himself  in   readiness  to  depart 


l82  THE     CAPTIVES.  , 

at  a  moment's  warning.  I  then  sent  for  the  chief  of 
the  Pisqueras  (Porters)  and  told  him  the  Ambassa- 
dor was  going  away  in  the  morning,  to  send  some  of 
his  people  to  carry  his  things  on  board,  and  then 
sent  to  the  slave  prison  to  inform  our  people  that 
Mr.  Donaldson  would  take  care  and  forward  any 
letters  they  might  wish  to  send  by  him.  My  aim  by 
these  proceedings  was  that  the  Dey  might  hear,  by 
a  circuitous  route  which  would  not  create  suspicion, 
that  Mr.  Donaldson  was  going  to  embark  and  to  do 
away  the  idea  that  he  possessed  unlimited  powers, 
or  had  a  carte  blanche  as  the  French  Consul  had 
induced  him  to  believe,  and  it  had  the  desired  effect. 
Thus  prepared,  on  Saturday,  September  5th,  1795, 
at  7  a.  m.,  I  took  Mr.  Donaldson's  proposals  number 
four  to  the  Dey,  accompanied  by  Mr.  Sloan  and 
Micaiah.  I  informed  him  that  the  American  Am- 
bassador was  ready  to  embark  and  would  be  at  sea 
before  twelve  o'clock;  that  he  had  surpassed  his  limits 
in  his  last  offer,  but  to  avoid,  as  much  as  was  in  his 
power,  the  negotiation  from  being  broken  off  he  had 
added  the  whole  extent  of  his  fortune  to  the  last 
proposal,  and  had  sent  it  for  the  Dey's  consideration. 
I  read  the  proposals  and  he  replied  that  the  addition 
was  trifling,  and  said  that  this  morning  the  French 
Consul  had  again  sent  his  Drogoman  to  inform  him 
that  the  Ambassador  had  carte  blanche.  I  desired 
Micaiah  and  Sloan  to  mark  that  assertion  and  in- 
formed the  Dey  that  I  had  refuted  that  falsehood 
already,  and  I  had  thought  to  his  Excellency's  satis- 
faction; but  at  present  further  discussion  was  unnec- 
essary from  the  fact  that  our  Ambassador  would  be  on 


NEGOTIATIONS    IN    BARBARY.  183 

board  in  an  hour  if  his  Excellency  rejected  these 
proposals  and  would  be  a  very  disagreeable  proof 
how  much  his  Excellency  had  been  imposed  on,  and 
that  a  regular  complaint  would  be  preferred  against 
Mr.  Valliere  by  our  Ambassador  at  the  Court  of 
France.  "I  have  abated  two-thirds  of  my  first 
demand,"  replied  the  Dey,  "and  if  he  cannot  comply 
with  my  last  proposals  he  may  embark  when  he 
pleases."  I  then  reminded  his  Excellency  of  his 
promise  to  let  the  prisoners  be  redeemed  independ- 
ent of  peace  which  now  seemed  to  be  unattainable. 
The  Dey  affected  to  be  in  a  great  passion,  said  a 
great  deal  to  little  purpose,  but  came  to  no  conclu- 
sions. I  said  that  I  was  grieved  beyond  measure 
that  our  friendly  offers  were  rejected;  that  we  were 
a  nation  at  a  great  distance  from  his  which  would 
take  a  year  to  write  to  and  to  receive  letters  from; 
that  we  had  never  been  in  arms  against  any  Mussul- 
man nation;  but  that  now  we  would  be  obliged  to  arm 
in  our  own  defense,  and  would  necessarily  become 
the  enemies  of  those  who  had  rejected  our  friend- 
ship. At  this  moment  Sloan  pulled  me  forcibly  by 
the  coat,  in  order  to  prevent  me  from  saying  any 
more  until  the  Dey  was  in  abetter  humor.  The  Dey 
observed  it  when  I  answered  I  came  here  to  speak 
truth.  I  have  been  well  treated  by  the  Dey  for  a 
number  of  years,  and  no  selfish  consideration  shall 
prevent  me  from  endeavoring  to  prevent  him  being 
imposed  on  by  the  French  Consul,  or  any  of  our 
enemies  who  under  the  cloak  of  friendship  are 
equally  his.  America  will  never  sue  for  peace  again, 
but  will  arm  in  her  own  defence;  but  his  Excellency 


l84  '  THE    CAPTIVES. 

has  promised  to  let  the  captives  be  redeemed,  which 
I  now  implore  from  his  clemency.  We  have  been 
here  more  than  ten  years  Effendi,  let  us  go  for  the 
love  of  God.  I  then  stooped  to  kiss  the  Dey's  hand, 
which,  contrary  to  my  expectations,  he  held  towards 
me,  and  seemed  buried  in  thought,  whether  con- 
vinced that  he  had  been  imposed  on  by  the  French 
Consul  or  not,  I  don't  know;  but  his  aspect  changed 
and  after  taking  a  pinch  of  snuff  the  Dey  desired  me 
to  read  over  the  proposals  again  to  him,  line  by  line, 
which  I  did  and  observed  that  as  he  said  that  I  dic- 
tated the  appropriations  to  the  Ambassador,  he 
would  observe  that  his  Excellency,  at  least,  was  lib- 
erally considered.  That  $240,000  were  appropriated 
for  the  use  of  himself  and  family  alone,  and  that  in 
the  aggregate  $585,000  was  a  large  sum,  and  $279,500 
more  than  had  been  paid  by  the  Dutch;  and  that 
even  on  the  score  of  precedent  the  terms  were  ad- 
vantageous to  the  Regency.  "Yes,"  answered  the 
Dey,  "you  know  how  to  gabbar  (cheat,  decieve,  per- 
suade).; should  I  now  reject  your  terms  and  send 
your  Ambassador  away,  your  enemies  would  rejoice 
and  you  would  become  the  laughing  stock  of  all  the 
Consuls  and  Franks  in  Algiers.  Go  and  tell  your 
Ambassador  that  I  accept  his  terms,  more  to  pique 
the  British  who  are  your  inveterate  enemies,  and  are 
on  very  bad  terms  with  me,  than  in  consideration  of 
the  sum  which  I  esteem  no  more  than  a  pinch  of 
snuff,"  at  the  same  time  blowing  one  away  which  he 
held  in  his  fingers;  "but  recollect  that  the  annuity  in 
stores,  presents  on  the  arrival  of  an  Ambassador. 
Consular  and  bi-ennial  presents  are  to    be    paid   the 


NEGOTIATIONS  IN  BARBARY.  185 

same  as  is  paid  by  Holland  and  Sweden  and  Den- 
mark." We  answered  that  it  was  so  understood, 
kissed  the  Dey's  hand  and  paid  him  many  compli- 
ments, probably  with  more  sincerety  than  compli- 
ments are  paid  in  general,  and  we  went  to  give  an 
account  of  the  result  to  Mr.  Donaldson,  who  being 
informed  replied  "Aye!  (with  an  oath)  he  has  agreed 
at  last,  has  he?"  I  requested  him  to  keep  up  the 
deception  until  he  returned  from  the  palace,  lest 
some  of  our  enemies  should  injure  us,  for  notwith- 
standing the  Dey's  promise,  peace  was  not  perfectly 
established  before  our  flag  was  displayed  and  saluted. 
The  Pisqueras  were  kept  in  attendance  as  if  really  he 
was  going  to  embark,  and  at  lo  a.  m.  we  were  ready 
to  attend  Mr.  Donaldson  to  the  Palace  to  confirm 
the  agreement. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

But  Micaiah,  who  remained  in  the  Palace  and 
who  had  not  spoken  one  word  to  the  Dey  during  the 
whole  negotiation,  now  brought  a  note  of  the  stores 
demanded  by  the  Dey  for  peace  the  same  as  the 
Swedes  had  paid.  This  demand  Skjoldebrand  and 
all  of  us  recommended  Mr.  Donaldson  to  reject  at 
once,  as  the  Swedes  had  not  paid  any  cash  to  the 
treasury  for  peace,  and  as  we  had  promised  to  pay 
;^ioo,ooo  the  Dey  could  not  expect  us  to  pay  both  in 
cash  and  stores.  I  went  with  Micaiah  to  the  Dey 
and  explained  this  article  to  him,  when  after  some 
altercation  he  agreed  that  the  stores  should  be  valued, 
which  was  done  by  the  Turkish  secretary,  and 
;^6o,ooo  was  deducted  from  the  $100,000  to  be  paid  to 
the  treasury,  so  that  the  stores  contained  in  number 
five,  which  the  Dey  dictated  from  the  note  in  Turk- 
ish, was  valued  as  above,  and  $40,000  was  to  be 
placed  in  cash  to  the  treasury.  This  Donaldson 
agreed  to,  but  requested  the  gunpowder  should  be 
changed  for  other  articles.  I  intimated  that  this  was 
an  improper  time  to  higgle  about  trifles;  that  after 
our  flag  was  saluted,  and  peace  presents  given,  I 
would  take  upon  myself  to  have  this  article  changed 
for  others  as  requested.  Thus  everything  arranged 
at  II  a.  m.,  Mr.  Donaldson  accompanied  by   Sloan, 


NEGOTIATIONS    IN    BARBARY.  187 

Micaiah  and  myself  waited  on  the  Dey,  when  by  Mr. 
Donaldson's  request,  I  confirmed  in  the  name  of  the 
United  States,  all  the  stipulations  of  the  terms  of 
peace  as  contained  in  numbers  four  and  five,  a  copy 
of  which,  with  the  addition  of  the  stores  to  be  paid 
for  the  gunpowder,  dated  September  the  8th,  1795, 
was  transmitted  to  Gol.  Humphreys  on  the  nth  of 
the  month.  Previous  to  going  into  the  palace  I  had 
taken  a  silk  jack  that  Mr.  Donaldson  had  brought 
with  him,  and  put  it  round  my  waist  and  after  com- 
pliments presented  it  to  the  Dey,  saying  that  as 
peace  was  established  I  hoped  our  flag  would  be 
saluted  as  soon  as  possible.  The  Dey  said,  "You 
seem  determined  that  your  flag  should  be  hoisted 
to-day  or  you  would  not  have  brought  it  into  the 
palace;  go  have  it  hoisted  as  usual  on  such  occasions, 
I  will  not  disappoint  you."  The  Dey  desired  me  to 
tell  Mr.  Donaldson  that  he  might  take  his  country- 
men from  work  at  the  Marine,  if  he  thought  proper, 
but  at  the  same  time  observed  that  he  thought  they 
had  better  remain,  for  if  they  were  to  get  drunk  and 
insult  any  of  the  Turks  he  would  be  obliged  to  pun- 
ish them  even  against  his  will  or  they  might  turn 
Moors.  Donaldson  answered  that  he  did  not  wish 
to  take  them  from  the  Marine,  but  that  he  did  not 
care  if  they  all  turned  Moors.  This  last  paragraph 
I  refused  to  translate  to  the  Dey,  as  I  thought  it  very 
uncharitable  and  improper.  The  Dey  then  passed 
some  enconiums  on  my  conduct,  said  Donaldson 
might  thank  me  for  obtaining  peace  on  such  moder- 
ate terms,  and  desired  him  to  write  in  my  favor  to 
our  Ambassador  at  Lisbon,  and    our    Prince    (Presi- 


l88  THE    CAPTIVES. 

dent  he  meant)  ;  but  this  being  too  delicate  an  affair 
for  me  to  translate,  I  kissed  the  Dey's  hand  and  left 
Sloan  to  interpret  between  them. 

I  went  down  to  the  Marine  and  at  meridian  a 
large  American  ensign  was  hoisted  at  the  main- 
Mr.  Donaldson's  silk  jack  in  the  place  of  the  flag  of 
truce,  which  was  hauled  down,  ■  was  hoisted  at  the 
fore  and  her  own  jack  and  ensign  flying  on  board 
the  Ragusan  Brig  that  Mr.  Donaldson  came  over  in. 
Then  peace  was  proclaimed  and  the  American  flag 
saluted  with  twenty-one  guns,  and  thus  in  about 
forty-two  hours  after  the  arrival  of  Mr.  Donaldson, 
peace  was  established  between  the  Regency  of 
Algiers  and  the  United  States  of  America,  to  the 
astonishment  of  every  person  in  Algiers,  friends  as 
v/ell  as  foes,  by  a  lame  old  man  who  understood  no 
language  but  his  own,  without  funds  or  credit  and 
surrounded  with  enemies. 

From  the  Marine  I  went  to  Mr.  Donaldson's 
house,  congratulated  him  and  dined  with  him  (on 
my  own  dinner)  and  Mr.  Skjoldebrand;  and  after 
dinner,  although  the  Jews  of  Algiers  are  more  strict 
in  observing  the  ceremonies  of  their  religion  than 
they  are  in  any  other  country,  Micaiah  and  David 
his  nephew  were  busy  all  day  prepairing  the  peace 
presents,  and  did  not  go  to  the  Synagogue  until  the 
evening.  Such  power  has  self  interest  over  an 
Algerine  Jew  that  it  makes  him  forget  his  God,  and 
break  through  all  precepts  both  human  and  divine. 
In  the  evening  Capt.  O'Brien  requested  me  to  get 
permission  from  the  Dey,  for  him  to  be  sent  to  Col. 
Humphreys  with  the   treaty   and    Mr.  Donaldson's 


NEGOTIATIONS    IN    BARBARY.  I89 

dispatches.  This  request,  I  must  confess,  tried  my 
fortitude  as  much  as  any  thing  I  had  ever  exper- 
ienced; for  I  was  tired  of  the  humiliating  situation  I 
had  been  so  long  in,  and  actually  had  intended  to  be 
the  bearer  of  the  treaty  myself,  if  the  Dey  would 
permit  me.  I  therefore  hesitated  a  good  while 
before  I  gave  any  answer.  Capt.  O'Brien  under- 
standing the  cause  of  my  embarrassment,  interested 
my  patriotism  and  pride  in  his  favor.  He  said  that 
the  situation  I  was  in  gave  me  an  opportunity  of 
rendering  very  essential  service  to  my  country, 
especially  as  Mr.  Donaldson  was  incapable  to  trans- 
act his  own  business;  that  by  my  resigning  my  post 
some  person  might  be  appointed  who  would  be  an 
enemy  to  our  interests;  and  if  any  unfavorable  event 
took  place  that  as  a  patriotic  citizen  I  would  incur 
great  censure;  besides  the  Dey  had  promised  me  to 
use  his  influence  with  the  Regency  of  Tunis  in  our 
favor,  which  probably  he  would  not  do  was  I  to  go 
away;  that  the  sacrifice  which  was  demanded  of  me 
would  ever  redound  to  my  honor;  and  both  O'Brien 
and  Skjoldebrand  declared  that  they  would  repre- 
sent my  conduct  to  Col.  Humphreys  and  to  our 
executive,  in  such  a  manner  as  would  not  fail  to 
receive  their  thanks  and  approbation.  Therefore, 
considering  the  duty  I  owed  my  country  and  the 
friendship  that  had  existed  between  O'Brien  and 
myself  during  a  ten  years  captivity,  I  consented  but 
I  must  own  with  some  reluctance.  On  Sunday,  Sept. 
6th,  I  accompanied  Mr.  Donaldson  to  the  palace  and 
delivered  our  peace  presents  to  the  Dey.  A  great 
many  of  the  presents  were  procured   from    the   Dey 


190  THE    CAPTIVES. 

himself,  especially  the  articles  which  were  distribu- 
ted to  the  officers  of  the  third  and  fourth  rank. 
These  consisted  of  a  large  diamond  ring  and  returned 
to  himself  which  he  had  received  while  Hasnadar 
and  Vikilharche  of  the  Marine,  and  were  of  no  use 
to  him;  he  therefore  got  rid  of  them  for  cash,  and 
the  Jews  charged  them  to  the  United  States  at  their 
own  price,  and  put  a  considerable  sum  of .  the 
money  into  their  pockets.  The  audience  lasted 
about  twenty  minutes.  The  Dey  said  he  was 
an  old  man  and  recommended  dispatch,  which 
Donaldson  promised  so  far  as  it  lay  in  his  power. 
Donaldson  returned  home  and  the. Dey  immediately 
sent  him  as  a  present  a  young  German  slave,  called 
Joseph  Koenigs,  the  same  who  was  at  his  window 
when  Aly  Vikilharche  sent  to  inform  him  of  the 
death  of  his  predecessor,  and  a  fine  Barbary  stallion. 
I  told  him  that  it  was  customary  to  show  respect  to 
the  Dey  by  giving  the  messenger  a  handsome 
present.  "Give  him  a  dollar,"  said  he,  *'I  have  not 
any  change."  I  told  him  he  must  have  twenty  at 
least,  and  that  was  not  enough  and  I  gave  the  man 
ten  sequins.  This  Donaldson  refused  to  pay  me, 
saying  he  had  desired  me  to  pay  one  dollar  which 
he  offered  to  pay  me  which  I  rejected  with  disdain. 
I  found  that  O'Brien  had  a  great  deal  of  the  Jew  in 
his  composition,  which  I  then  did  not  know;  had  got 
Skjoldebrand  to  send  his  Drogoman  and  Micaiah  to 
go  in  person  to  the  Dey  to  obtain  permission  for 
him  to  carry  the  dispatches  aforesaid;  but  the  Dey 
refused  them  both,  saying  Mr.  Sloan  was  a  free  man 
— that    Mr.    Donaldson    might   send   him.      In    the 


NEGOTIATIONS    IN    BARBARY.  IQI 

evening  I  asked  the  Dey's  permission  for  O'Brien, 
and  pointed  out  to  him  what  great  utility  it  would 
be  to  have  a  person  on  the  spot  who  was  acquainted 
with  the  quality  of  the  stores  which  were  wanted  in 
Algiers,  and  he  gave  me  permission  at  once,  but  I 
left  O'Brien  in  suspense  for  some  time  as  a  punish- 
ment for  his  want  of  confidence  and  duplicity.  As 
he  supposed  that  I  wished  to  carry  the  dispatches 
myself,  he  endeavored  to  supplant  me  by  the  agency 
of  the  Swedes  and  Jews.  I  likewise  got  four  pass- 
ports from  the  Dey  to  protect  as  many  American 
vessels  with  our  stores  from  capture  by  (all  the 
Barbary  States)  including  Morocco  for  one  year. 
As  Mr.  Donaldson  did  not  visit  the  Dey's  Ministers 
in  consequence  of  his  being  lame,  I  went  in  his  name 
to  deliver  the  presents,  but  few  of  them  were  at  home. 
The  Dey  likewise  promised  to  change  500  barrels 
of  gunpowder  for  other  articles,  as  Mr.  Donaldson 
had  desired  me  to  request;  but  I  think  he  made  a 
foolish  bargain,  for  the  freight  of  the  stores  out  will 
amount  to  more  than  the  difference.  On  the  7th  of 
September,  the  Dey  desired  me  to  make  out  the  note 
of  the  stores  which  are  to  be  sent  of  the  best  quality. 
A  great  part  of  the  peace  presents  were  delivered 
today.  This  afternoon  I  received  the  treaty  in 
Turkish  from  the  Secretary  of  State,  and  with  the 
translation  in  English  which  was  made  and  written 
by  me,  and  collated  with  the  original  in  twenty-three 
articles,  and  the  four  passports  before  mentioned,  I 
took  to  Mr.  Donaldson.  The  Dey  sent  a  present  of 
no  great  value  to  Mr.  Donaldson.  In  the  evening, 
having  business  with  the  Dey,  I    reminded  him  of 


192  THE     CAPTIVES. 

his  promise  to  use  his  influence  with  Tunis  and 
Tripoli;  he  answered  that  he  would  send  a  courier  to 
Tunis  with  letters  to  prepare  the  Bey  for  our  recep- 
tion, and  that  by  the  return  of  the  vessel,  which  we 
were  about  to  send  with  the  treaty  to  Lisbon,  he 
would  have  answers  and  that  we  might  be  assured 
that  he  would  use  his  influence  both  with  Tunis  and 
Tripoli  in  our  behalf,  and  would  insure  us  an  advan- 
tageous peace  with  both  those  Regencies.  I  thanked 
the  Dey  tor  his  good  will  and  assured  him  that  the 
government  of  the  United  States  would  duly  appre- 
ciate it. 

Tuesday  8th  of  September.  No  business  is  done 
in  the  palace  on  Tuesdays.  Mr.  Donaldson  received 
a  present  from  Siddi  Hamuda,  one  of  the  Dey's 
relatives,  and  the  rest  of  the  day  we  were  employed 
delivering  presents,  which  was  finished  the  next  day. 

Wednesday  gth  was  busy  with  the  Secretary  of 
State,  preparing  a  copy  of  the  treaty  to  send  to  Col. 
Humphreys.  Mr.  Donaldson  was  preparing  his  dis- 
patches, and  Mr.  Skjoldebrand  chartered  a  Brig 
belonging  to  Signore  Guillermo  F'ernasa  to  take 
O'Brien  direct  to  Lisbon  with  Donaldson's  dispatch- 
es, but  some  dispute  arose,  after  the  contract  was 
signed,  relative  to  primage  which  Donaldson  said 
was  not  understood  by  him  to  be  a  part  of  the  agree- 
ment, and  the  charter  party  was  annulled,  and 
O'Brien  hired  a  Spanish  boat  to  take  him  direct  to 
Malaga,  from  whence  he  went  over  land  to  Lisbon, 
which  cost  four  times  as  much  as  the  difference  for 
which  Donaldson  disputed,  about  $20,  besides  the 
risk  of  losing  the  treaty  and  dispatches.  O'Brien 
however,  arrived  safe. 


NEGOTIATIONS    IN    BARBARY.  I93 

Thursday  loth,  Donaldson  finished  his  dispatches. 
The  Dey  sent  an  elegant  attagan  with  a  gold  scab- 
bard, and  a  silk  sash  embroidered  with  gold,  to  be 
presented  to  Col.  Humphreys  as  a  token  of  his 
respect. 

Friday  nth  at  lo  a.  m.  By  Capt.  O'Brien's  par- 
ticular request  I  introduced  him  to  the  Dey.  This 
is  the  first  time  that  he  had  been  in  the  palace  since 
the  day  he  landed,  and  the  first  time  he  ever  spoke 
to  the  Dey — in  the  course  of  these  negotiations  will 
be  seen  my  motive  for  noting  this  circumstance  so 
particularly — he  kissed  the  Dey's  hands  and  feet 
(I  did  not  like  that  humiliation).  The  Dey  said  he 
was  an  old  man  and  recommended  dispatch,  say- 
ing that  if  he  died  his  successor  would  not  be  so 
friendly  to  America  as  he  had  been,  and  may  be 
would  undo  all  that  he  had  done,  if  the  business  was 
not  concluded — and  much  he  cared.  He  wanted  the 
fee,  but  did  not  care  a  cent  for  the  client.  O'Brien 
promised,  most  faithfully,  to  use  every  exertion  in 
his  power  to  carry  the  treaty  into  effect  and  took 
his  leave.  The  Dey  sent  him  twenty  dollars  by  me 
to  purchase  sea  stores.  Capt.  O'Brien  asked  me,  as 
a  particular  favor,  to  give  him  a  rough  sketch  of  the 
negotiation,  which  I  complied  with,  and  at  meridian 
he  received  Mr.  Donaldson's  dispatches  and  took 
leave  of  Don  Podagra.  I  accompanied  him  to  Mr. 
Skjoldebrand's  house.  He  took  leave  of  the  Consul 
who  presented  him  with  an  elegant  attagan  as  a 
token  of  his  esteem.  He  went  down  to  the  Marine 
accompanied  by  Messrs.  Skjoldebrand,  Bogman, 
Sloan,    Micaiah  and  family  and   myself.     I  went  on 


194  THE     CAPTIVES. 

board  with  him,  but  not  finding  the  boat's  master  on 
board,  I  desired  the  captain  of  the  port  to  haul  the 
boat  out  of  the  mole,  and  went  to  the  Spanish  Con- 
sul's house  to  look  for  the  master  and  to  hurry  him 
on  board.  Some  words  took  place  between  the 
Consul  and  myself,  but  the  captain  went  on  board 
and  at  2  p.  m.  made  sail,  with  the  wind  at  the  east, 
with  O'Brien  on  board  after  having  seen  ten  years, 
one  month  and  twelve  days  in  captivity.  I  went  and 
dined  with  Mr.  Donaldson,  and  we  consider  that  our 
affairs  are  now  settled,  and  that  no  alteration  will 
take  place  until  we  hear  from  Col.  Humphreys,  pro- 
vided no  unnecessary  delay  is  made.  If  the  cash 
arrives,  or  as  much  of  it  as  will  pay  for  the  ransom 
of  our  captives,  the  Dey  will  let  them  go.  Had  I 
power  I  could  raise  the  whole  of  the  money  here, 
for  bills  upon  London,  Marseilles,  or  Leghorn;  but 
Mr.  Donaldson  does  not  inspire  sufficient  confidence 
to  induce  me  to  run  any  farther  risk,  and  he  seems 
very  ungrateful  for  the  risk  I  have  already  run.  He 
is,  in  fact,  jealous  and  mistrustful  and  has  not  mag- 
nanimity of  soul  sufficient  to  be  able  to  compre- 
hend, that  it  is  even  possible  for  a  man  to  run  the 
risk  of  his  life,  without  having  any  other  motive 
than  the  good  of  his  country  and  the  self  applause 
of  an  approving  conscience. 

I  gave  Capt.  O'Brien  ten  Spanish  doubloons 
($i6o)  of  my  own,  to  pay  his  expenses  and  to  pur- 
chase some  decent  clothing  and  a  packet  for  Col. 
Humphreys. 

Here  ends  the  account  of  our  negotiation  with 
Algiers,  which  produced   our   first   treaty    of   peace 


NEGOTIATIONS    IN    BARBARY. 


195 


with  that  Regency,  but  the  stipulations  of  that  treaty 
are  yet  to  be  carried  into  execution,  which  will  be  a 
work  of  no  small  difficulty. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

A  sketch  of  our  relations  with  France,  Spain  and 
Great  Britain  from  1793  to  1796,  which  will  in  some 
measure  account  for  their  conduct  towards  us  in  the 
Barbary  States. 

In  the  preceding  pages  I  have  stated  the  relations 
which  existed  between  the  nations  of  Europe,  and 
especially  between  France,  Spain,  Great  Britain  and 
the  Regency  of  Algiers,  from  the  peace  of  1783  to 
the  present  time,  by  which  will  be  seen  their  motives 
for  opposing  our  interests  in  the  Barbary  States  in 
general,  and  particularly  in  Algiers.  The  many 
attempts  which  had  been  made  by  agents,  pretend- 
ing to  be  authorized  by  the  United  States  to  effect 
peace  and  the  ransom  of  our  citizens  in  captivity,  to 
whose  acts  no  attention  had  been  paid  by  our 
government,  made  impressions  on  the  mind  of  the 
Dey  and  Ministers  of  Algiers  extremely  prejudicial 
to  our  cause  and  difficult  to  efface,  which  joined  to 
the  influence  of  those  nations  whose  commercial 
interest  was  opposed  to  ours,  would  have  rendered 
peace  unattainable  on  any  terms  which  would  have 
been  within  our  means  for  many  years,  consequently 
all  those  already  in  captivity  would  have  remained 
there,  or  died  in  slavery;  our  commerce  would  have 
been  at  the  mercy  of  Great  Britain,  whose  influence 


NEGOTIATIONS    IN    BARBARY.  I97 

with  Portugal  was  so  great  that  the  disaster  of  1793 
(the^.,-eapture  of  ten  vessels  of  the  United  States) 
would  have  been  repeated  at  pleasure,  and  we  were 
too  well  a'cquainted  with  the  policy  of  that  nation, 
to  suppose  that  she  would  have  scrupled  to  avail 
herself  of  a  circumstance  by  which  she  could  annoy 
us  without  risk,  and  at  a  very  trifling  expense;  of 
which,  the  whole  tenor  of  her  conduct  towards  us 
from  the  peace  of  1783,  to  the  invidious  truce  made 
by  her  agency  and  under  her  guarantee  in  1793, 
between  Portugal  and  Algiers,  is  sufficient  evidence. 
Had  these  obstacles  not  been  removed  by  a  person 
devoted  to  the  interests  of  the  United  States,  who 
from  1787  (two  years  after  he  was  captured)  to  1795 
(the  date  of  our  first  treaty)  and  afterwards  had  en- 
joyed the  confidence  of  the  Dey  and  chiefs  of  the 
Regency,  the  United  States  would  have  no  other 
alternative  but  to  abandon  her  commerce  in  unarmed 
vessels,  and  to  have  armed  in  her  defense,  which 
neither  our  relations  with  France  or  Great  Britain, 
or  our  finances  at  that  time,  would  have  permitted. 
When  the  prelude  to  the  negotiation  which  termi- 
nated in  peace  commenced  by  announcing  the  arrival 
of  Col.  Humphreys  at  Alicant,  with  power  to  nego- 
tiate peace  with  Algiers,  a  short  time  after  the  cap- 
ture of  ten  of  our  vessels,  and  more  than  one 
hundred  of  our  fellow  citizens,  in  November,  1793, 
the  Dey  refused  to  receive  him,  as  his  cupidity  was 
excited  by  his  success  and  the  expectation  that  he 
could  effect  an  advantageous  peace  with  Portugal, 
which  would  have  left  our  commerce  to  the  mercy 
of    his    Cruisers,    or   that   by   the    influence   of   the 


ig8  THE    CAPTIVES. 

British  he  could  at  least  have  continued  the  truce, 
which  would  have  insured  to  him  the  capture  of  a 
number  of  our  citizens  and  their  property.  Disap- 
pointed in  these  hopes,  not  long  afterwards  he  de- 
clared war  against  Holland,  which  continued  until 
April,  1794,  when  he  made  an  advantageous  peace, 
which  increased  his  avarice.  In  October  following, 
permission  was  granted  to  Col.  Humphreys  to  come 
to  Algiers,  to  treat  on  terms  of  peace;  but  imme- 
diately on  receiving  premission  he  proceeded  to  the 
United  States,  and  when  in  December  following,  the 
Dey  was  informed  of  his  departure  he  concluded 
that  the  United  States  were  trifling  with  him,  as  his 
predecessor  had  been  trifled  with  by  John  Lamb  in 
1786,  and  others  since.  Those  impressions,  the  sit- 
uation I  was  then  in,  enabled  me  to  remove  and  dis- 
pose him  to  give  our  Ambassador  a  favorable  recep- 
tion when  he  did  arrive.  The  Dey's  preamble  to 
the  opinion  which  he  asked  or  rather  dictated  to  the 
Divan  to  give  on  the  ist  of  July,  1795,  originated 
with  me.  He  never  would  have  thought  of  such  a 
ruse,  if  I  had  not  insinuated  to  him  that  it  would 
make  the  measure  popular;  and  I  had  prepared 
some  of  the  Ministers  to  coincide  with  his  opinion 
from  choice;  for  prior  to  the  decision,  those  inter- 
ested in  the  Cruisers  and  their  adherents,  including 
the  soldiers  and  sailors  with  their  officers,  who  com- 
posed the  crews  of  the  Cruisers,  were  heard  to 
murmur  very  much  and  contended  that  a  peace  with 
Portugal,  who  solicited  it  by  their  agents,  was  more 
advantageous  to  the  Regency  than  a  peace  with  the 
United  States,  who  had  not  a  single  vessel  of  war  to 


NEGOTIATIONS  IN  BARBARY.  I99 

oppose  them;  that  by  having  the  whole  Atlantic 
ocean  open  to  the  excursions  of  their  Cruisers,  they 
-  would  derive  a  vast  revenue  by  the  sale  of  the  prizes 
and  the  ransom  of  the  captives  of  the  United  States, 
Prussia  and  the  Hauseatic  towns  and  others  with 
whom  they  were  at  war,  and  whose  commerce  was 
equally  defenseless,  besides  the  emolument  that 
would  accrue  to  individuals.  To  combat  that  opin- 
ion, the  Dey  asserted  that  the  maratine  and  military 
stores  which  the  Regency  would  receive  from  the 
United  States,  would  render  them  entirely  independ- 
ent of  the  northern  nations  (Denmark,  Sweden  and 
Holland)  for  those  articles,  and  would  leave  no 
inducement  to  remain  on  amicable  terms  with  them 
longer  than  it  would  be  subservient  to  their  interests; 
and  that  war  might  be  carried  on  against  one  or 
other  of  those  nations  alternately,  which  would  be 
much  more  lucrative  than  to  continue  the  war  with 
the  United  States,  who,  he  alleged,  would  in  all 
probability  arm  to  protect  their  trade  when  they 
found  their  overtures  for  peace  were  rejected;  that 
the  northern  nations  were  accustomed  to  tribute, 
and  did  not  consider  it  degrading,  as  it  was  paid  by 
the  Chambers  of  Commerce  of  those  nations,  and  not 
from  the  public  treasury,  and  was  viewed  by  them 
more  as  an  equivalent  given  for  a  commercial  privi- 
lege than  a  national  humiliation;  but  that  the  Amer- 
icans were  sons  of  Englishmen  whose  manners,  cus- 
toms and  mode  of  thinking  were  similar,  which 
induced  him  to  apprehend  that  if  they  lost  this 
opportunity  of  adding  another  Christian  power,  and 
that  of  the  new  world,  too,  to    the   list   of   tributary 


^00  THE     CAPTIVES. 

nations,  that  both  the  honor  and  the  emolument 
would  vanish,  especially  as  he  was  informed  by  good 
authority,  that  the  funds  for  carrying  all  treaties 
into  effect,  as  well  as  for  every  expenditure  came 
out  of  the  Hasna  (public  treasury)  and  was  national 
property,  and  must  first  receive  th'e  sanction  of  the 
grand  Divan  of  the  nation.  Not  even  their  Prince 
(President  he  meant)  can  expend  a  single  sequin 
without  first  obtaining  the  consent  of  the  Divan. 
Those  sentiments,  my  situation  as  chief  clerk  or 
secretary  to  the  Dey  and  Regency,  enabled  me  to 
inculcate  long  before  the  arrival  of  any  accredited 
agent  of  the  United  States  at  Algiers,  and  was  the 
true  cause  of  the  Dey's  reducing  the  terms  of  peace 
to  less  than  one  quarter  of  what  he  at  first  asked; 
and  was  of  infinite  service  to  us  afterwards  in  sup- 
pressing the  Dey's  impatience,  which  was  occasioned 
by  the  unavoidable  detention  of  our  funds  for  carry- 
ing the  treaty  into  effect  after  it  was  made;  and 
which  occasioned  the  Dey  to  send  me  in  the  Folacca 
Independent,  manned  with  Moors  and  navigated  by 
myself,  at  my  own  sole  expense,  with  his  letter  to 
the  President  of  the  United  States,  in  May,  1796, 
accompanied  by  Mr.  Barlow's  dispatches  to  Alicant, 
Lisbon  and  the  United  States,  which  saved  the  peace 
of  the  nation;  for  eight  months  had  elapsed  since 
our  treaty  was  signed  without  one  single  article  of 
either  cash  or  stores  stipulated  by  treaty  having 
arrived.  Mr.  Barlow  had  been  here  (at  Algiers) 
about  two  months;  a  month  after  his  arrival  he  sac- 
rificed a  frigate  of  thirty-six  guns  to  obtain  three 
months  more  time  for  the  funds  to  arrive;    although 


NEGOTIATIONS  IN  BARBARY.  201 

I  promised  to  obtain  him  a  respite  of  six  months  for 
twenty  thousand  sequins,  and  to  procure  him  the 
cash  to  pay  it  immediately  for  two  per  cent  a  month. 
But  he  concluded  that  it  was  better  to  promise  a 
frigate  which  he  had  valued  at  ^45,000;  but  which  I 
assured  him  would  cost  one  hundred  thousand  dol- 
lars at  least  to  deliver  her  at  Algiers;  and  in  this  he 
took  the  Jew's  advice,  and  was  deceived  which  he 
afterwards  acknowledged;  but  by  my  going  to  the 
United  States  the  Dey  allowed  nine  months  longer, 
which  was  sufficient  time  to  fulfill  all  our  engage- 
ments, and  this  cost  the  United  States  nothing  what- 
ever, not  even  my  expenses  were  paid  until  many 
years  after  and  then  only  in  part. 

When  Mr.  Donaldson's  arrival  at  Alicant  was 
announced,  in  August,  1795,  the  Dey  was  extremely 
mortified  at  the  neglect  with  which  he  supposed  he 
had  been  treated  by  the  United  States;  nevertheless, 
I  effaced  all  the  impressions  which  existed  unfavor- 
able to  his  reception,  and  procured  a  passport  for 
him  to  come  to  Algiers  under  the  flag  of  the  United 
States,  sanctioned  by  a  flag  of  truce  which  the  Dey 
could  not  violate,  had  he  been  so  disposed.  This 
was  considered  a  great  favor,  and  was  unprecedented 
in  the  annals  of  Algiers;  and  after  his  arrival  he  was 
enabled  to  agree  on  terms  of  peace  in  less  than 
forty-eight  hours,  the  treaty  was  made  and  written 
out  for  him  without  his  either  discussing  or  seeing  it, 
until  I  presented  it  to  him  for  his  signature.  Before 
his  arrival  the  Dey  had  renewed  the  treaties  between 
Algiers  and  Sweden,  and  Holland,  and  had  received 
a  considerable  gratuity  from  each,  as  the  price  of 


20^2  THE    CAPTIVES. 

peace,  and  had  taken  several  valuable  vessels  from 
the  latter  which  had  increased  the  Dey's  avarice, 
and  in  some  measure,  warranted  the  expectation 
that  our  concessions  would  be  in  proportion  to  its 
importance  to  us;  and  having  more  than  one  hun- 
dred of  our  citizens  in  his  hands,  whom  the  British 
Consul  induced  him  to  believe  must  be  redeemed  at 
any  price,  he  considered  that  he  stood  on  very  high 
ground,  and  such  as  would  induce  us  to  comply 
with  his  exorbitant  demands.  Denmark  and  Venice 
were  in  fear  of  a  rupture,  if  peace  was  concluded 
with  the  United  States,  and  consequently  opposed 
it;  and  the  court  of  Sweden,  although  inclined  to  be 
our  friend,  refused  any  agency  in  our  affairs.  The 
British  and  Spanish  Consuls,  the  father  administra- 
tor of  the  Spanish  hospital,  and  Don  Juan  Garrigo, 
a  Spanish  merchant,  were  commissioned  to  con- 
clude a  peace  for  Portugal,  provided  it  could  be  ob- 
tained on  reasonable  terms,  and  had  power  to  offer 
^100,000  more  than  would  be  offered  by  the  United 
States  to  supplant  us.  Overtures  and  offers  were 
made  to  me  by  those  gentlemen  which  would  have 
rendered  me  independent  for  life — but  which  I 
refused  with  disdain — and  the  French  Consul  told 
the  Dey  to  hold  on,  that  Donaldson  had  carte 
blanche,  and  would  make  peace  on  any  terms.  It 
had  been  the  policy  of  our  government  to  rely  on 
the  interposition  of  France  in  our  favor,  but  had  she 
ever  intended  to  have  fulfilled  the  stipulations  con- 
tained in  the  8th  article  of  our  treaty  with  France  of 
6th  of  Feb.,  1778,  she  had  an  opportunity  offered  her 
between  the  peace  of  1783  and   the    captnre   of   our 


NEGOTIATIONS    IN    BARBARY.  203 

vessels  in  1785;  but  in  fact  she  never  intended  to 
render  us  any  service  whatever,  and  now  ever  since 
the  conclusion  of  our  treaty  with  England  by  John 
Jay,  Esq.  on  the  igth  of  Nov.,  1794,  we  were  on  the 
very  worst  terms  with  her  which  would  prevent  her 
using  her  influence  (which  at  that  time  was  of  very 
little  weight)  in  our  favor,  even  if  it  had  not  been 
against  her  interest  to  have  afforded  the  aid  which 
had  been  so  often  promised,  but  notwithstanding 
the  erroneous  opinion  which  has  prevailed,  and  does 
yet  prevail,  that  we  are  under  great  obligations  to 
France  for  her  exertions  in  our  favor  when  our  first 
treaties  were  negotiated  with  the  States  of  Barbary, 
I  am  prepared  to  prove  the  contrary,  and  that  she 
used  what  little  influence  she  had  to  oppose  our 
interests;  and  that  the  relations  were  such  between 
the  two  nations,  at  the  time,  that  she  could  not  do 
otherwise  with  any  degree  of  propriety.  During  the 
mission  of  Governeur  Morris,  he  had  been  charged 
to  solicit  the  interposition  of  that  government  to 
favor  our  negotiations  with  the  Barbary  States;  and 
power  was  delegated  by  him  to  a  Mons.  Chanmout, 
who  lived  in  Switzerland  and  never  came  any  nearer 
to  Algers,  and  whose  efforts  probably  produced  the 
trifling  attempt  made  by  Parrett,  v/hich  terminated 
in  nothing  except  to  induce  the  Dey  to  have  a  most 
contemptible  opinion  of  us  as  a  nation,  and  nearly 
to  determine  him  not  to  receive  any  person  to  treat 
for  peace  on  the  part  of  the  United  States.  After 
Mr.  Monroe  arrived  he  politely  dismissed  him,  and 
he  ought  never  to  have  been  appointed.  When  Mr. 
Monroe  arrived  at   Paris    to   supercede    Mr.    Morris 


i04  THE    CAPTIVES. 

(Aug.  1794),  great  dissatisfaction  existed  in  conse- 
quence of  the  convention  believing  that  Mr.  Jay  had 
been  sent  to  England  with  views  unfriendly  to 
France,  and  that  Mr.  Monroe's  mission  was  adopted 
for  the  sole  purpose  of  covering  and  supporting  his 
to  England;  and  that,  on  our  part,  we  contemplated 
a  close  union  with  her  and  was  consequently  con- 
sidered as  an  act  of  policy  calculated  to  amaze  and 
deceive.  He  was  however  received,  on  the  15th  of 
August,  much  better  than  appearances  gave  him 
reason  to  expect,  and  in  his  dispatch  to  the  Secretary 
of  State  of  the  12th  of  February,  1795,  Mr.  Monroe 
says,  "that  he  found  our  affairs  in  the  worst  possible 
situation."  The  treaty  between  the  two  republics 
violated,  our  comrrierce  harrassed  in  every  quarter 
and  in  every  article,  our  seamen  taken  on  board  our 
vessels  were  often  abused,  generally  imprisoned  and 
treated  in  other  respects  like  the  subjects  of  the 
powers  at  war  with  them. 

Our  former  Minister  had  not  only  been  without 
the  confidence  of  the  government,  but  an  object  of 
particular  jealousy  and  distrust,  in  addition  to  which 
it  was  suspected  that  we  were  about  to  abandon 
them  for  a  connection  with  England,  and  for  which 
purpose  principally  he  had  been  sent  there.  As  it 
was  precisely  at  this  time  that  our  negotiations  with 
the  Barbary  States  commenced  it  certainly  could 
not  have  been  expected,  nor  will  it  be  believed  that 
France,  under  these  impressions,  would  interpose 
her  influence  in  our  behalf,  even  if  her  influence  had 
been  as  great  as  she  represented  it  to  be;  but  in  the 
preceding  pages  it  has  been  shown  that  she   had 


NEGOTIATIONS    IN    BARBARY.  205 

none  whatever.  The  victories  gained  by  her  armies 
inspire  no  fear,  as  the  Dey  well  knew  that  she  was 
not  in  a  situation  to  send  a  fleet  to  Algiers,  and  the 
influence  of  any  nation  in  the  Barbary  States  is  of 
little  avail  unless  inspired  by  fear  or  th^  hopes  of 
gain.  The  progress  of  Jay's  treaty  which  arrived  in 
the  United  States  in  March,  the  intelligence  that  the 
British  government  had  revived  its  orders  for  seiz- 
ing provision  vessels  destined  to  France,  at  a  time 
when  Paris  and  great  part  of  France  were  in  the 
greatest  distress  for  provisions;  the  arrival  of 
gazettes  containing  copies  of  Jay's  treaty  which  was 
openly  and  severely  censured,  for  it  appeared  at  a 
time  calculated  to  produce  the  worst  effects,  viz:  in 
August  and  September,  1795,  was  not  the  most  fav- 
orable time  to  solicit  the  interference  of  France  to 
promote  our  interest  in  any  way — a-nd  at  this  mo- 
ment peace  was  negotiated  and  concluded  by  my 
exertions  as  has  been  seen  in  the  preceding  pages — 
nor  will  it  be  believed  that  France,  under  the  circum- 
stances that  followed,  was  ever  inclined  to  favor  our 
negotiations — indeed  it  would  have  been  unreason- 
able to  expect  it. 

In  the  middle  of  September,  1795,  Mr.  Monroe 
declared  that  we  daily  lost  ground;  the  French  gov- 
ernment no  longer  confided  in  our  amicable  pro- 
fessions, and  gave  cause  to  apprehend  serious  con- 
sequences in  case  the  treaty  was  ratified,  which  was 
only  diminished  by  the  opposition  which  the  Amer- 
ican people  made  to  it;  and  as  our  treaty  was  con- 
cluded with  Algiers  on  the  5th  of  this  month,  it 
would  have  been  preposterous  for  us  to  have  confid- 


206  THE    CAPTIVES. 

ed  in  the  sincerity  of  France,  or  even  to  suppose 
that  she  would  aid  our  negotiation  with  her  influence, 
when  the  contrary  was  inspired  by  our  own  acts,  and 
ought  to  have  been  expected.  I  might  continue 
this  inquiry  for  several  pages,  but  as  I  have  nothing 
in  view  but  to  substantiate  the  fact  that  our  relations 
with  France  were  such  as  to  preclude  the  expecta- 
tion that  she  would  render  us  any  assistance,  while 
our  negotiations  were  pending,  and  that  she  had  not 
the  power  even  if  she  had  the  will,  I  will  only  think 
it  necessary  to  prove  that  no  alteration  took  place 
to  render  her  more  propitious  to  our  cause,  until  our 
negotiations  were  finally  concluded  with  all  the  Bar- 
bary  States,  and  likewise  to  prove  beyond  all  doubt 
that  so  far  from  rendering  us  the  assistance  stipula- 
ted by  the  8th  article  of  our  treaty  of  alliance  with 
France,  of  1778,  she  opposed  our  interests  on  every 
occasion  in  consequence  of  what  they  called  our 
attachment  to  British  interests. 

About  the  beginning  of  October  Mr.  Monroe,  ac- 
companied by  Mr.  Purviance,  not  knowing  that  peace 
had  been  established  with  Algiers,  had  a  conference 
with  Jean  Debry,  a  member  of  the  committee  of 
salut  public  and  charged  with  the  department  of 
American  affairs,  for  the  purpose  of  engaging  the 
good  offices  of  the  French  government  in  aid  of  our 
negotiations  with  Algiers.  Application  had  likewise 
been  made  some  time  before  to  the  committee  (July 
5th),  and  Mr.  Monroe,  in  his  communication  of  the 
the  1st  of  August  following,  says  "I  have  the  pleasure 
to  inform  you  that  the  full  support  of  this  govern- 
ment will  be  given  in  our  negotiation  with  Algiers," 


NEGOTIATIONS  IN  BARBARY.  207 

But  that  aid  never  had  been  given,  for  if  it  had  the 
present  application  would  have  been  rendered  as 
superfluous  by  that  act,  as  it  now  was  by  peace  being 
concluded  a  month  before  the  application  was  made. 
These  were  the  only  official  requests  that  were  made 
since  the  departure  of  Mr.  Morris,  from  which  noth- 
ing favorable  resulted;  and  considering  the  unpromis- 
ing aspect  of  our  relations  with  France  at  that  period, 
it  needs  strong  faith  to  believe  that  any  were  ever 
intended  when  the  promise  was  made.  Be  that  as  it 
may,  our  negotiations  were  carried  on  without  her 
aid.  We  relied,  as  we  ought  always  to  rely,  on  the 
strength  of  our  own  resources  and  it  is  some  consola- 
tion to  a  patriotic  mind  to  know  that  peace  was  con- 
cluded with  Algiers  independent  of  the  influence  of 
France,  or  any  other  nation  on  earth,  and  that  we 
are  relieved  from  the  weight  of  the  obligation.  It  is 
worthy  of  remark  that  at  the  same  conference  the 
conversation  digressing  from  the  above  topic  turned 
on  the  treaty  concluded  between  the  United  States 
and  England,  a  copy  of  which  with  the  news  of  its 
ratification  by  the  senate,  accompanied  by  certain 
comments  or  strictures  thereon  by  a  French  citizen, 
Jean  Debry,  said  "had  just  been  received  by  the 
committee  and  he  hinted  at  the  dissatisfaction 
excited  by  the  treaty  in  the  mind  of  the  govern- 
ment." Will  the  most  credulous  believe  that  France, 
at  this  period,  meant  to  promote  our  interests  in  any 
way  when  she  supposed,  and  with  good  reason  too, 
that  we  had  abandoned  hers,  more  especially  as  our 
obtaining  a  free  trade  in  the  Mediterranean  would 
interfere  with  her  commercial  interests,  and  in  the 


208  THE    CAPTIVES. 

Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Marseilles  we  had  a  most 
powerful  adversary. 

The  27th  of  October  the  national  convention  was 
dissolved,  and  the  Directoire  assumed  the  reins  of 
government,  and  about  the  same  time  Fanchet 
arrived  in  France  with  all  his  prejudices  about  him, 
extremely  dissatisfied  with  the  treaty  which  certainly 
was  not  favorable  to  our  interests. 

In  January,  1796,  Mr.  Randolph's  pamphlet  was 
received  in  Paris  which  contained  documents  by  no 
means  respectful  to  the  government  of  France,  and 
the  friends  of  the  French  revolution,  in  the  United 
Slates,  were  reproached  with  being  the  friends  of  war 
and  confusion.  Shortly  afterwards  the  President's 
address  to  congress  upon  the  opening  of  the  session 
was  received,  which  in  treating  of  the  flourishing 
situation  of  the  United  States  contrasted  it  with  the 
miserable,  famished  and  disorganized  state  of  other 
powers;  much,  too,  was  said  in  that  address  of  the 
advantages  of  our  accommodation  with  Great 
Britain,  as  likewise  of  the  favorable  disposition  of 
that  power  towards  us,  without  the  slightest  attention 
being  shown  to  the  French  Republic,  unless  indeed 
it  was  referred  to  in  the  picture  of  distress  noticed, 
as  was  inferred  by  the  French  government  of  that 
epoch. 

In  June,  1796,  intelligence  was  received  that  the 
house  of  representatives  of  the  United  States,  had 
agreed  to  carry  the  treaty  into  effect,  which  did 
away  with  the  few  favorable  impressions  which 
remained,  in  consequence  of  the  opposition  which 
had   been    made   to    it   by   the   people;    and  surely 


NEGOTIATIONS    IN    BARBARY.  2O9 

our  measures  at  that  time  did  neither  command 
the  respect,  nor  conciliate  the  esteem  of  the 
French  Republic.  What  reason  then  had  we  to 
expect  her  favorable  interposition  at  this  juncture 
or  indeed  at  any  time  since  our  negotiation  with 
the  Barbary  States  commenced.  It  betrayed  on 
our  part  a  spirit  bordering  on  presumption  or 
the  most  abject  meanness  to  solicit  it.  Never- 
theless on  the  30th  of  August,  Mr.  Monroe  re- 
ceived a  communication  from  the  Minister  of  Ex- 
ternal Relations,  stating  that  a  truce  was  obtained 
by  our  agent  from  the  Regency  of  Tunis  and  Tripoli, 
and  with  the  aid  of  France.  The  dispatch  of  Her- 
culais  is  dated  Algiers,  July  12,  1796,  about  the  same 
time  that  he  declared  to  Mr.  Barlow  that  it  was  his 
duty  as  a  French  citizen  to  oppose  the  interests  of 
the  United  States,  on  account  of  what  he  called  the 
attachment  of  our  government  to  the  British  inter- 
est. (See  Barlow's  letter  to  the  Secretary  of  State 
of  the  17th  of  August,  1797.)  Does  there  require 
any  further  proof  that  France  had  been  playing  a 
false  role  with  us  all  along?  I  think  not.  The  fact 
is  I  procured  a  truce  with  Tunis  for  eight  months  on 
the  8th  of  November,  1795,  by  the  interposition  of 
the  Dey  of  Algiers;  and  Capt.  O'Brien  in  the  Sophia 
was  captured  by  a  Cruiser  of  Tripoli,  and  carried  to 
that  place  in  September,  1796;  consequently  no  truce 
had  taken  place  at  that  time,  and  the  French  consul, 
Guise,  congratulated  the  Bashaw  on  the  event  and 
endeavored  to  induce  the  Bashaw  to  condemn  the 
vessel  and  the  money  which  was  on  board  for  the 
ransom  of  our  captives  at  Algiers;  but  did  not  sue- 


210  THE    CAPTIVES. 

ceed  in  consequence  of  the  protection  afforded  to 
the  Sophia  by  the  Dey's  passport,  which  was  one  of 
the  four  which  I  had  procured  from  the  Dey  when 
I  left  Algiers  in  May,  1796;  and  as  the  Sophia  and 
her  crew  were  liberated,  besides  cash  to  the  amount 
of  ;^220,ooo  which  was  on  board,  in  consequence  of 
this  passport,  it  is  not  unfair  to  state  that  the  United 
States  was  benefitted  by  this  transaction  at  least 
;^250,ooo,  besides  the  consequences  which  would  have 
attended  the  loss,  for  without  this  money  or  until 
another  sum  equivalent  to  it  arrived  at  Algiers,  our 
people  would  not  have  been  enlarged.  In  conse- 
quence of  this  capture  a  correspondence  took  place 
between  the  Bashaw  of  Tripoli  and  the  Dey  of 
Algiers;  a  cessation  of  hostilities  was  agreed  on,  and 
on  the  4th  of  November  following  a  treaty  of  peace 
and  amity  was  concluded  between  the  United  States 
and  the  Regency  of  Tripoli.  But  the  directory 
finding  that  we  had  succeeded  in  obtaining  our 
object  at  Tunis,  as  we  had  before  done  at  Algiers, 
not  only  without  the  aid  of  France  but  contrary  to 
the  influence  which  she  opposed  to  our  interest 
which  she  very  much  overrated,  wished  to  induce 
our  government  and  the  world  to  believe,  that  not- 
withstanding the  many  causes  she  had  to  complain 
of  us,  nevertheless  she  had  invariably  been  our  friend 
and  was  well  disposed  towards  us;  and  thus  added 
fuel  to  the  flame  which  raged  all  over  our  continent, 
fanned  by  the  party  spirit  of  the  times. 

The  only  agency  which  Herculais  had  in  our 
affairs  was  to  reccommend  Fannin  to  Mr.  Barlow, 
who  was  a  very  improper  person  to  be  employed  by 


NEGOTIATIONS  IN  BARBARY.  211 

the  United  States  to  negotiate  a  treaty  for  us.  He 
caused  all  the  embarrassments  which  we  experienced 
afterwards,  and  Herculais  himself  acknowledged 
him  to  be  a  traitor.  In  fact  it  was  the  duty  of  Mr. 
Barlow,  after  he  had  promised  the  frigate  to  the  Dey 
of  Algiers,  to  have  gone  to  Tunis  himself  and  not 
trusted  to  a  creature  of  the  Bey,  by  whom  our  inter- 
ests were  sacrificed  and  after  the  Dey  promised  to 
wait  for  the  funds,  he  had  nothing  to  do  at  Algiers 
until  they  arrived,  and  in  the  intermediate  time  he 
might  have  negotiated  a  treaty  with  Tunis,  which 
would  have  saved  us  an  infinitude  of  trouble  and 
expense. 

Believing  that  I  have  substantiated  all  I  promised 
I  might  here  conclude,  but  as  some  circumstances 
occurred  after  the  appointment  of  Mr.  Humphreys, 
which  might  tend  to  distract  the  judgment  and  lead 
to  diversity  of  opinion,  I  will  here  record  them. 
Col.  Humphreys  was  appointed  Commissioner 
Plenipotentiary,  on  the  part  of  the  United  States, 
with  full  power  to  negotiate  and  conclude  treaties 
with  all  the  Barbary  States  and  with  Algiers  on  the 
2ist  of  March,  1793.  But  he  did  not  make  any 
attempt  to  come  to  Algiers  until  eight  months  after- 
wards, on  the  nth  of  November  following,  immedi- 
ately after  the  capture  of  ten  sail  of  our  vessels  by 
which  more  than  one  hundred  of  our  fellow  citizens 
were  enslaved,  in  consequence  of  the  insiduous  truce 
concluded  between  Portugal  and  Algiers,  by  the 
agency  and  under  the  guarantee  of  Great  Britain. 
Had  he  arrived  before  that  truce  was  concluded, 
(and  why  he  did  not  I  presume  he  has  accounted 


212  THE     CAPTIVES. 

for  to  the  government)  our  vessels  would  not  have 
been  captured  nor  our  citizens  enslaved,  and  peace 
might  have  been  obtained  on  terms  comparatively 
low  and  moderate.  But  the  time  when  he  did  apply 
being  very  unfavorable,  he  was  refused  permission  to 
come  to  Algiers,  and  we  heard  no  more  about  him 
until  the  7th  of  October,  1794,  when  after  a  great 
deal  of  trouble  and  some  address  the  Dey  promised 
to  receive  him;  but  on  receiving  the  Dey's  permis- 
sion, in  lieu  of  coming  direct  to  Algiers  as  was  ex- 
pected, he  departed  for  America  by  which  the  Dey 
concluded  that  the  United  States  was  trifling  with 
him  and  had  well  nigh  countermanded  his  orders. 
On  the  7th  of  November,  Mr.  Monroe  said  that  in 
respect  to  the  business  with  Algiers,  that  he  had  not 
acted,  and  assigns  his  reasons  why,  and  that  he  had 
written  to  a  Mr.  Chaumont,  a  gentleman  in  Switzer- 
land, informing  him  that  the  negotiation  with 
Algiers  was  committed  to  Col.  Humphreys,  and  was 
meant  by  him  as  a  respectful  discharge.  Mr.  Chau- 
mont, it  seems,  was  commissioned  by  Mr.  Morris 
and  from  whom  probably  emanated  Parrett's  nego- 
tiation which  did  us  no  good.  On  the  nth  of 
November  Mr.  Monroe  informed  Col.  Humphreys 
that  the  Secretary  of  State  had  communicated  to 
him  that  the  power  to  treat  with  the  Regency  of 
Algiers  was  committed  to  him;  but  that  he  thought 
it  would  be  useless  and  improper  to  occupy  the 
councils  of  the  Republic  on  the  subject,  until  he 
knew  the  state  of  the  business  of  which  he  requested 
information;  and  in  his  letter  to  the  Secretary  of 
State  of  February  i ,  1 795,  he  said  he  was  informed  that 


NEGOTIATIONS    IN    BARBARY.  213 

Col.  Humphreys  had  sailed  from  Lisbon  for  Algiers; 
that  he  was  left  in  ignorance  equally  of  his  wishes, 
the  time  of  his  departure  and  plan  of  operation;  that 
he  had  been  fearful  from  the  embarrassments  in- 
separable from  the  war  and  other  circumstances,  that 
it  would  be  difificult  to  concert  any  plan  of  operation, 
and  that  under  present  circumstances  it  had  become 
altogether  impossible. 

The  Secretary  of  State  under  date  of  the  8th  of 
March,  informs  Mr,  Monroe  that  Col.  Humphreys 
was  in  Philadelphia  when  he  supposed  him  to  be  in 
Algiers,  and  Mr.  Monroe  in  answer  said  (17th  of 
May)  "that  his  last  letter  gave  him  the  first  intelli- 
gence that  I  could  rely  on,  that  Col.  Humphreys  was 
in  America,"  who  of  course  would  return  fully 
possessed  of  his  views  with  respect  to  the  piratical 
powers  on  the  African  coast.  He  further  adds,  "I 
assured  you  long  since  that  it  would  be  easy  to 
obtain  from  this  government  its  aid  upon  that  point, 
and  it  is  certain  that  its  aid  with  each  and  especially 
with  Algiers,  with  which  Regency  the  Republic  is  in 
the  strictest  amity,  would  be  of  good  effect.  Those 
powers  know  that  France  is  at  war  against  Austria, 
Spaip,  England,  Portugal,  etc.,  and  defeats  them  all, 
and  in  consequence  conclude  that  she  is  more  power- 
ful than  all  united  and  respect  her  accordingly.  I 
have  frequently  been  told  in  private  conversation  by 
the  members  of  the  committee,  that  they  were  ready 
to  render  us  all  the  service  in  their  power  in  that 
respect."  These  were  the  opinions  inculcated  by  the 
French  government — but  view  the  true  state  of  the 
case.      France    had    been    insulted    and    plundered 


214  '1"HE     CAPTIVES, 

by  Algiers  more  than  once,  and  that  very  lately, 
with  whom  no  nation  has  any  influence  but  what  is 
inspired  by  fear  or  the  hope  of  gain.  Those  powers 
know  that  France  is  engaged  in  a  war  which  employs 
all  her  force  and  exhausts  all  her  resources,  and  that 
the  British  keep  their  vessels  of  war  in  their  ports, 
and  that  consequently  there  can  not  be  a  better  time 
to  commit  depredations  on  her  commerce.  As  long 
as  France  had  any  commerce  Algiers  plundered  it, 
but  her  want  of  commerce  now  prevents  Algiers 
from  insulting  the  French  flag — because  she  could 
not  reap  no  adequate  advantage  by  it — and  not  the 
dread  of  her  arms;  and  we  have  sufficient  evidence 
to  prove  that  notwithstanding  the  promises  which 
were  made  to  our  Minister  by  the  government  of 
France,  it  never  was  their  intention  to  realize  them, 
and  had  we  relied  upon  her  aid  we  would  have  in- 
curred great  expense  to  no  purpose,  and  would  ulti- 
mately have  failed  and  been  laughed  at  for  our 
credulity.  In  the  letter  of  the  Secretary  of  State  to 
Mr.  Monroe  of  the  15th  of  February,  1795,  which  he 
received  after  the  letter  of  the  8th  of  March,  he  says: 
"Col.  Humphreys,  our  Minister  for  Lisbon;  being 
disappointed  in  the  loan  which  was  to  be  paid  for 
the  relief  of  our  captive  brethern  in  Algiers,  has 
come  over  to  press  the  subject.  He  will  return  in  a 
few  days  full  handed,  and  although  we  have  heard 
nothing  of  late  concerning  the  friendly  interposition 
of  France  with  the  Dey,  we  beg  that  the  influence  of 
our  ally  may  be  exerted  in  this  great  cause  of 
humanity."  And  in  another  of  the  2d  of  May,  he 
says:       "Col.     Humphreys    sailed    six    weeks    ago 


NEGOTIATIONS    IN    BARBARY.  21 5 

(middle  of  March)  properly  charged  for  the  nego- 
tiation with  Algiers.  Before  this  reaches  you,  he 
will  probably  have  had  a  personal  interview  with 
you,  and  will  satisfy  you  that  on  this  and  on  every 
other  occasion,  we  wish  to  observe  delicacy  towards 
our  friends  and  allies." 

Col.  Humphreys  arrived  at  Gibraltar  from  the 
United  States  on  the  17th  of  May.  His  letter  to  us 
of  the  i8th  we  received  on  the  i6th  of  June,  and 
immediately  after  he  wrote  it  he  set  off  for  France, 
still  in  pursuit  of  the  igjiis  fatuus — french  influence — 
which  was  never  found,  and  happy  was  it  for  us  that 
it  was  not.  On  the  5th  of  July,  Mr.  Monroe  pre- 
sented a  paper  to  the  committee  of  public  safety, 
opening  as  far  as  was  expedient  the  object  of  Col. 
Humphreys'  visit  to  France;  and  on  the  ist  of 
August,  he  communicates  to  the  Secretary  of  State, 
"that  he  has  the  pleasure  to  inform  him  that  the  full 
aid  of  that  government  would  be  given  in  support  of 
our  negotiation  with  Algiers;"  but  it  never  was  given, 
nevertheless.  And  as  this  was  the  first  official  com- 
munication that  had  been  made  to  the  French  gov- 
ernment, since  the  departure  of  Mr.  G.  Morris,  it 
could  not  have  availed  us  anything  even  had  that 
government  been  sincere,  for  our  treaty  was  signed 
on  the  5th  of  September  following.  On  the  ist  of 
September  Mr.  Monroe  communicates  to  the  com- 
missary of  foreign  relation  that  a  Mr.  Benjamin 
Hitchborn  was  appointed  with  full  power  to  nego- 
tiate with  Algiers,  etc.,  and  only  waited  for  his 
instructions  to  their  agent  at  Algiers,  and  requested 
passports  for  four  persons.     Mr.  Hitchborn  declined 


2l6  THE    CAPTIVES. 

and  Mr.  Barlow  was  appointed  in  his  stead  and 
accepted,  •  so  that  it  was  not  for  his  talents  that  he 
was  appointed,  and.  it  was  not  for  his  services  I  am 
sure,  and  he  was  only  the  second  on  the  list  of  pro- 
motion— that  he  had  talents  there  is  no  doubt,  but 
they  did  not  suit  the  meridian  of  Barbary  as  will  be 
seen  hereafter. 

On  the  3rd  of  October,  Mr.  Monroe  informed 
Col.  Humphreys  that  he  had  heard  that  peace  had 
been  made  with  Algiers  without  the  aid  of  France; 
for  I  dispise  the  idea  of  laying  us  under  any  obliga- 
tion to  the  French  Consul  Valliere;  that  Herculais 
had  not  written  on  the  subject  (How  could  he  when 
he  did  not  go  to  Algiers  for  several  months  after 
our  treaty  was  signed?)  and  that  the  only  instruc- 
tions here  to  present  to  him,  were  to  use  the  influ- 
ence of  the  Republic  with  the  Dey,  to  obtain  a  sus- 
pension of  hostility  on  his  part  against  the  United 
States.  This  was  vox  et  pretera  nihil,  for  the  ad- 
mission of  an  Ambassador  in  any  of  the  Barbary 
States,  implies  a  cessation  of  hostility  until  he  leaves 
the  country,  and  were  five  hundred  prizes  to  be 
captured  while  the  negotiation  was  pending,  they 
would  all  be  released  by  the  Dey;  but  probably  no 
indemnification  would  be  received  for  what  would  be 
plundered  from  individuals  by  the  crews  of  the 
Cruisers,  but  even  this  assertion  does  not  tally  with 
the  declaration  of  Herculais  to  Mr.  Barlow,  con- 
tained in  the  latter's  letter  to  the  Secretary  of  State 
before  referred  to.  In  Mr.  Monroe's  letter  to  the 
Secretary  of  State  of  the  4th  of  October  he  says: 
•'In  furtherance  of  the  object  I  was  promised  by  the 


NEGOTIATIONS  IN  BARBARY.  217 

company  with  a  list  of  such  presents  as  would  be 
suitable  for  Algiers,  a  literal  copy  of  what  they  had 
last  presented  with  a  specification  of  what  suited  the 
Dey,  and  his  ministry  in  particular."  If  the  com- 
missary presented  a  list  of  the  articles  which  were 
brought  to  Mr.  Barlow,  he  deceived  him.  They 
were  calculated  for  the  Grand  Seigniors  Seraglio, 
but  not  for  the  Regency  of  Algiers,  especially  the 
Turkish  ladies'  dresses,  which  cost  in  Paris  41,462 
livres,  were  never  of  any  use  at  all,  and  I  saw  rem- 
nants of  them  in  the  Consul's  house  in  Algiers,  when 
I  was  on  my  way  to  Tunis  and  Tripoli  in  1799,  and 
a  cup  and  vase  of  jade  (mineral)  which  cost  2,400 
livres  in  Paris,  was  returned  to  Mr.  Barlow  by  the 
Dey,  who  said  he  did  not  want  such  costly  utensils, 
and  they  were  sent  to  the  Bey  of  Tunis  in  1799. 
The  greatest  part  of  the  articles  were  sent  to  Tunis 
and  Tripoli  because  they  were  too  valuable  to  be 
given  to  the  third  and  fourth  class,  and  not  valuable 
enough  to  be  presented  to  the  first  and  second  class 
and  about  the  value  of  50,000  livres,  consisting  of 
ladies'  dresses,  tortoise  snuff  boxes,  etc.,  were  en- 
tirely thrown  away  and  answered  no  purpose  what- 
ever; and  those  things  which  did  answer,  were  valued 
much  higher  than  the  same  sort  of  articles  could  be 
procured  from  the  Jews  at  Algiers;  besides  many 
months  prior  to  this  period,  I  had  forwarded  to 
Montgomery  to  send  to  Col.  Humphreys  a  list  of  the 
Consular  presents  sent  by  the  doner  to  the  Algerines 
in  1792  and  1794,  and  there  was  no  necessity  of  our 
laying  ourselves  under  any  obligation  to  the  govern- 
ment of  France  at  all,   either  to  procure  the  list  or 


2l8  THE    CAPTIVES. 

the  articles  themselves.  At  length  Mr.  Joseph  Bar- 
low left  Paris  and  after  various  peregrinations  for 
what  purpose  no  body  here  knows,  he  arrived  in 
the  bay  of  Algiers  on  the  4th  of  March,  1796,  and 
on  the  next  day  landed,  precisely  six  months  after 
our  treaty  had  been  signed  with  Algiers,  and  four 
months  after  a  truce  had  been  made  with  Tunis;  yet 
by  a  most  unjust  partiality,  all  the  services  which  I 
had  rendered  before  he  was  ever  thought  of  as  an 
agent,  have  been  erroneously  attributed  to  him  by 
those  who  have  been  appointed  by  the  people  to 
dispense  the  public  gratitude,  but  without  cause  as 
will  be  seen  in  the  sequel.  The  opposition  which 
we  met  with  from  the  agents  of  Spain,  may  be 
attributed  to  the  unsettled  state  of  our  affairs  with 
that  power  in  relation  to  our  boundary  and  the  free 
navigation  of  the  Mississippi  and  likewise  to  her 
jealousy  of  our  increasing  wealth  and  population,  as 
well  as  the  solicitude  which  she  felt  to  promote  the 
interest  of  her  friend  and  ally,  the  Queen  of  Portugal, 
in  preference  to  the  United  States,  whose  religion 
and  form  of  government  she  detested,  and  saw  in 
prospective  the  effect  the  latter  would  ultimately 
have  to  hasten  the  emancipation  of  her  own  colonies. 
I  may  therefore  be  permitted  to  say  that  the  task  I 
performed,  surrounded  by  the  difficulties  which  then 
existed,  was  an  arduous  one,  when  it  is  considered 
that  our  present  happy  constitution  had  not  had 
time  to  shed  its  benign  influence  over  our  pecuniary 
affairs;  that  we  had  not  got  over  the  derangements 
occasioned  by  an  Indian  war  and  an  insurrection  in 
the  western  country;  that  party  raged  with  as    much 


NEGOTIATIONS    IN    BARBARY. 


219 


inveteracy  as  it  did  during  the  revolutionary  war; 
and  that  our  treasuary  was  empty,  and  we  had  not 
even  a  gun  boat  afloat  to  protect  our  commerce, 
which,  exclusive  of  having  more  than  one  hundred 
citizens  in  slavery;  and  I  thank  God  that  He  used 
me  a  captive  under  a  despot,  who  many  times  have 
risked  my  life  for  the  enslaved  and  the  welfare  of 
my  country,  to  assist  in  removing  every  obstacle  in 
the  way  of  the  pacification  of  the  Barbary  States. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

Continuation  of  our  negotiations  with  the  Bar- 
bary  States  and  especially  with  Algiers,  from  the 
departure  of  Capt.  Richard  O'Brien  with  our  treaty 
of  peace  with  Algiers,  on  the  nth  of  September, 
1795,  to  my  arrival  at  Philadelphia  in  the  Independ- 
ent on  the  I2th  of  September,  1796,  via  Alicant  and 
Lisbon,  with  dispatches  and  a  letter  from  the  Dey 
to  the  President  of  the  United  States. 

I  have  already  stated  that  Mr.  Donaldson  arrived 
at  Algiers  on  the  3d;  that  I  made  the  treaty  and 
took  it  to  Mr.  Donaldson  for  his  signiture  on  the  7th; 
and  that  O'Brien  sailed  with  it  on  the  nth  of  Sep- 
tember, 1795;  and  on  the  13th  Mr.  Donaldson  retired 
to  the  Swedish  Consul's  country  seat  four  miles  from 
the  city,  leaving  us  in  anxious  expectation  for  the 
arrival  of  the  funds,  as  he  had  assured  us  that  Col. 
Humphreys  had  informed  him  that  they  were  ready 
to  embark  a  great  part  of  them  at  Lisbon.  This  in 
a  great  measure  increased  the  Dey's  impatience,  for 
the  Jews  led  him  to  believe  that  our  money  trans- 
actions would  be  finally  settled  in  two  or  three  months 
at  farthest,  and  had  the  funds  arrived  as  the  Dey 
expected,  it  would  have  prevented  all  the  trouble, 
anxiety  and  enormous  expense  which  occured  after- 
wards, which   at   least   doubled   the   original   price 


NEGOTIATIONS    IN    BARBARY.  221 

promised  for  peace  and  the  ransom  of  our  brethren 
in  captivity.  Mr.  Donaldson  before  he  left  town, 
locked  up  the  house,  told  my  servants  whom  I  had 
sent  to  attend  him  that  their  services  would  in  future 
be  dispensed  with,  and  told  me  that  he  did  not  know 
why  so  expensive  a  table  had  been  kept;  that  a  great 
deal  less  would  have  served  him;  that  he  supposed 
it  was  intended  to  make  a  speculation  out  of  him; 
but  that  they  would  find  themselves  mistaken.  I 
told  him  may  be  not;  that  it  would  be  time  enough 
for  him  to  complain  when  the  account  came  in;  and 
that  his  countrymen  would  be  very  much  mortified 
to  see  their  Ambassador  live  in  a  worse  style  than 
the  Consuls  of  the  Northern  Nations.  The  fact  is, 
I  supplied  his  table  from  my  own  stores,  and  his 
dinner  was  cooked  every  day  at  my  own  tavern  and 
taken  to  his  house,  and  his  breakfast  and  supper 
were  prepared  at  his  house  by  my  servants,  and  he 
never  was  charged  a  cent  for  either  the  one  or  the 
other.  Donaldson,  when  he  went  out  of  town,  neg- 
lected to  leave  the  treaty  of  peace  with  me  to  have 
two  more  copies  made  out,  I  having  requested  that 
four  copies  might  be  made  out  when  peace  took 
place — one  to  be  sent  to  the  Secretary  of  State,  one 
to  Col.  Humphreys,  one  to  remain  in  the  Consulate, 
and  one  in  the  palace;  but  this  last  had  not  been 
returned  after  receiving  Donaldson's  signiture,  con- 
sequently, Osman  Hodga,  Secretary  of  State,  could 
not  make  out  the  other  two  copies;  therefore  on  the 
2ist  inst.,  I  wrote  a  note  to  Mr.  Donaldson  request- 
ing him  to  send  me  the  treaty  to  which  I  received 
the  following  answer: 


222  THE    CAPTIVES. 

Sir: — I  have  your  note  relative  to  the  secretary  and  shall 
be  in  town  tomorrow,  when  the  needful  shall  be  done.  It  is 
from  no  neglect  of  mine  as  you  well  know,  I  importuned  you 
to  procure  the  copies,  that  they  might  be  executed  ere  I  left 
town.  Yours, 

Monday,  Sep.  21,  1795.  DONALDSON,  JR. 

On  the  22nd  he  came  to  town  and  gave  me  the 
treaty,  and  desired  me  to  bring  the  same  copy  back 
again,  as  he  had  made  some  notes  in  it,  and  not  to 
write  the  other  copies  out  in  English,  as  he  wished 
to  write  them  himself.  This  copy  was  the  original 
treaty  which  was  in  my  hand  writing — the  other 
three  copies  were  copied  from  that  by  Mr.  Donald- 
son. He  seemed  displeased  at  being  disturbed  and 
more  so  when  he  found  it  was  near  dinner  time  and 
had  nothing  to  eat,  for  he  enjoyed  the  good  things 
of  this  world  as  much  as  any  person  could  do.  This 
evil,  however,  I  remedied  by  ordering  my  dinner  to 
be  brought  to  his  house  and  we  dined  tete  a  tete,  and 
after  dinner  he  seemed  better  pleased,  shook  me  by 
the  hand  and  said,  "he  hoped  we  should  dine  to- 
gether at  the  fishing  club  on  the  Schuykill,  of  which 
he  was  a  member,  before  another  year  had  expired," 
and  went  to  the  Consul's  country  seat  again. 

On  the  28th  he  came  to  town  and  asked  me  for 
the  treaty.  The  copies  had  not  been  done  in  conse- 
quence of  the  soldiers  receiving  their  pay  in  the 
palace,  nor  would  not  until  they  were  all  paid,  which 
would  be  in  four  or  five  days.  Mr.  Donaldson  was 
very  angry  and  said  he  wanted  to  have  his  business 
done;  that  he  was  not  obliged  to  wait  their  motions. 
I  answered  that  he  most  certainly  would,  for  the  Dey 
and  Secretary  of  State  would  not  wait  his.     He  left 


NEGOTIATIONS  IN  BARBARY.  223 

me  in  dudgeon  and  went  out  of  town  again;  but 
being  afraid  that  he  might  say  something  before  the 
Jews'  or  Swedish  Drogoman  which  would  displease 
the  government,  if  they  heard  it,  I  requested  the 
Secretary  of  State  to  finish  the  copies  in  Turkish  as 
soon  as  possible,  and  he  took  them  to  his  own  house 
and  gave  them  to  me  finished  and  sealed  on  Thurs- 
day, October  i,  1795,  and  the  next  day,  Friday,  no 
business  being  done  in  the  palace  I  went  to  dine 
with  Mr.  Skjoldebrand,  and  took  the  copies  with  me. 
When  I  gave  them  to  Mr.  Donaldson  he  compli- 
mented me  by  saying  "What,  you  have  got  them  at 
last  have  you?" 

On  the  6th  we  received  letters  from  Mr.  Ettiene 
Cathalan,  informing  us  that  the  news  of  peace  had 
arrived  at  Paris  and  all  the  ports  of  France,  and  on 
the  loth  a  Spanish  brig  freighted  by  Montgomery  at 
Alicant  arrived,  in  order  to  procure  a  permit  to  load 
wheat.  She  had  a  Mr.  Hugh  Boyd  on  board  as 
supercargo  and  was  consigned  to  Mr.  Donaldson. 
The  Dey  desired  me  to  take  him  to  Mr.  Donaldson, 
and  to  ask  him  what  was  his  business,  but  to  save 
myself  the  trouble  of  going  out  of  town  with  him, 
I  informed  his  Excellency  that  he  was  Montgomery's 
secretary  and  had  brought  letters  for  our  Ambassa- 
dor. 

Mr.  Donaldson  has  received  information  that 
O'Brien  arrived  at  Malaga  on  the  17th,  landed  on  the 
19th,  and  set  of  for  Lisbon  on  the  20th  ult.,  so  that 
in  twenty-five  days  after  Donaldson's  landing  in 
Algiers  the  treaty  would  be  in  Lisbon  for  the  in- 
spection of  Col.  Humphreys. 


224  THE    CAPTIVES. 

On  the  nth  I  announced  Capt.  O'Brien's  arrival 
at  Malaga  to  the  Dey,  who  was  well  pleased.  Mr. 
Donaldson  desired  me  to  ask  the  Dey  for  a  permit 
to  load  wheat.  I  told  him  that  the  request  was  pre- 
mature, and  that  he  would  get  the  same  answer  that 
George  Smith  received  some  time  ago;  that  any 
business  that  would  benefit  my  country  I  would 
transact  with  pleasure,  but  that  his  private  business 
he  had  much  better  transact  himself.  He  said  that 
I  was  very  unaccomodating  lately.  I  told  him  not 
one  tenth  part  as  much  as  he  was;  that  I  thought  it 
useless  and  degrading  to  ask  any  favor  when  I  was 
certain  that  it  would  not  be  granted.  He  said  that 
he  had  committed  himself  to  Montgomery,  and  that 
he  requested  me  to  make  the  trial,  which,  if  even 
refused,  would  exonerate  him  from  his  promise. 
I  acquiesced,  but  told  him  it  should  be  the  only 
time  that  I  would  interfere  in  his  privete  concerns. 
The  Dey  answered  as  I  had  predicted,  was  very 
angry  and  said  ''settle  the  affairs  of  your  nation  first, 
and  then  it  will  be  time  enough  to  talk  about  com- 
mercial affairs.  Tell  him  we  have  no  wheat  to  spare, 
when  we  have  any  we  will  let  him  have  it."  Mr. 
Boyd  brought  me  two  letters  from  Mr.  Montgomery 
and  informed  me  that  the  vessel  was  to  be  loaded 
on  joint  account  of  Montgomery  and  Donaldson, 
and  on  the  i8th  she  sailed  bound  to  Oran,  having 
made  a  contract  with  the  Baccries  for  a  cargo  of 
grain,  the  particulars  of  which  I  am  not  informed. 
Mr.  Boyd  informed  me  that  there  were  several 
Americans  in  the  Mediterranean.  I  therefore  wrote 
a  circular  to  our  Consuls  on  the    north    side   of   the 


NEGOTIATIONS  IN  BARBARY.  225 

Mediterranean,  informing  them  of  the  unsettled  state 
of  our  affairs  and  the  risk  of  capture  by  Cruisers  of 
Tunis  and  Tripoli,  and  recommending  them  to  dis- 
courage our  vessels  by  every  means  in  their  power 
from  coming  into  the  Mediterranean,  until  treaties 
were  concluded  with  Tunis  and  Tripoli. 

On  Tuesday  the  13th  of  October,  Mr.  Donaldson 
proposed  paying  his  first  visit  to  the  Grandees,  the 
Dey's  ministers,  being  prevented,  as  he  said,  by  the 
gout  until  now.  Mr.  Skjoldebrand  sent  for  me  to 
accompany  him,  as  a  thing  of  course,  and  as  he  had 
no  money  I  loaned  him  one  hundred  sequins,  in  half 
sequins,  to  distribute  in  the  great  men's  houses,  tell- 
ing him  that  it  was  customary  to  give  from  ten  to 
twelve  sequins  in  each  house.  Mr.  Donaldson  took 
the  money  and  then  told  Mr.  Sloan  to  get  his  head 
dress  (hat)  and  come  with  him,  and  when  we 
approached  the  Prime  Minister's  house  he  turned 
short  round  and  said  "that  one  interpreter  was 
enough."  I  wished  him  good  evening  and  said  that 
if  I  had  not  been  sent  for  I  would  not  have  intruded. 
When  I  mentioned  this,  the  same  evening,  to  Mr. 
Skjoldebrand  he  said  it  was  just  like  him,  that  he 
wondered  that  Col.  Humphreys  should  have  sent  a 
person  to  Algiers  so  wholly  unqualified  for  the  busi- 
ness he  was  sent  on;  that  he  hardly  thought  such 
another  original  could  be  found  in  the  United  States. 

On  Monday  the  19th,  having  business  with  the 
Aga  or  Generalisimo,  I  found  that  he  was  much  dis- 
pleased with  Mr.  Donaldson,  as  it  seems  that  he  had 
paid  him  particular  attention  at  his  visit,  and  in 
return  he  had  given  his  servants   only   four  sequins. 


226  THE    CAPTIVES. 

These  people  calculate  that  the  more  you  respect 
and  esteem  them,  the  greater  will  be  your  present  to 
their  people,  and  this  is  an  established  custom. 
Now  a  present  of  four  sequins  was  tantamount  to 
having  said  you  are  a  little  fellow,  have  no  influence, 
can  do  me  neither  good  nor  harm;  therefore  four 
sequins  is  enough  for  your  servants.  The  Aga 
said  that  Bobba  (Father)  Hassan  was  the  friend  of 
America  and  that  was  sufficient;  that  he  and  the 
other  Ministers  were  of  no  importance  in  our  estima- 
tion and  added,  with  a  sardonic  grin,  that  Bobba 
Hassan  was  an  old  man — meaning  that  he  would  not 
live  forever.  Mr.  Donaldson  has  acted  very  inju- 
diciously in  not  following  the  established  custom, 
and  truly  he  has  offended  all  those  who  have  the 
power  either  to  be  of  service  or  to  injure  him.  Some 
of  those  Grandees  most  probably  will  become  Dey 
hereafter,  and  will  certainly  revenge  any  insult  they 
suppose  they  may  have  received  when  in  an  inferior 
station;  for  a  Turk  never  forgives  an  injury,  and 
one  hundred  sequins  well  applied  now,  would  prob- 
ably save  the  nation  as  many  thousand  at  some  fu- 
ture period;  besides  our  affairs  are  not  settled  yet  by 
a  great  deal.  There  is  no  knowing  what  difficulties 
we  may  yet  have  to  surmount,  or  how  necessary  it 
may  be  to  cultivate  the  good  will  of  those  people, 
and  although  we  ought  not  to  permit  ourselves  to  be 
imposed  on,  neither  should  we  infringe  an  established 
custom  complied  with  by  all  nations  under  similar 
circumstances,  especially  when  the  expense  is  of  no 
importance  whatever  and  would  not  have  amounted 
to  one  hundred  dollars.  There  are  times  when  sav- 
ing money  is  not  economy,  and  this  is  one  of  them. 


NEGOTIATIONS  IN  BARBARY.  22/ 

Messrs.  Skjoldebrand  had  intended  to  reduce  the 
number  of  their  vessels  for  some  time,  and  had 
offered  to  sell  me  a  fine  brig-  they  had  in  port  with 
a  freight  of  2,800  on  board  bound  to  Smyrna,  on 
very  reasonable  terms.  The  Dey  had  promised  to 
send  the  Pilgrims  to  Alexandria  in  her  on  their  way 
to  Mecca,  and  give  me  a  passport  for  all  the  Otto- 
man Empire  including  Tunis  and  Tripoli,  and  let- 
ters to  the  Bey  of  Tunis  and  Bashaw  of  Tripoli, 
which  would  have  opened  a  correspondence  with 
those  chiefs  relative  to  peace,  but  he  refused  to  let 
me  go  in  the  vessel  myself,  but  promised  to  let  me 
have  one  of  the  American  captains  to  command  her. 
In  this  stage  of  the  business  I  wrote  a  note  to  Mr. 
Donaldson  on  Friday,  the  23  inst.,  requesting  him  to 
give  me  an  instrument  to  prove  that  the  said  vessel 
belonged  to  a  citizen  of  the  United  States — to  which 
I  received  a  refusal,  which  I  answered.  Mr.  Skjol- 
debrand went  out  of  town  and  told  Mr.  Donaldson 
"that  he  had  acted  a  most  ungenerous  part  to 
thwart  their  intentions  of  being  of  service  to  Mr. 
Cathcart,  who  had  rendered  both  him  and  his  country 
such  signal  services;  that  he  never  would  have  ob- 
tained peace  on  the  favorable  terms  on  which  it  was 
concluded,  had  it  not  been  for  my  exertions  for 
years  prior  to  his  appointment;  and  for  which  I  had 
received  nothing  but  insult,  and  more  especially  as 
he  had  promised  in  his  presence  to  grant  Mr.  Bailey 
a  similar  request  a  few  days  before,  when  he  was 
about  to  purchase  a  Venitian  prize  laying  in  the  mole." 
Mr.  Donaldson  denied  having  made  such  a  promise, 
and  without  taking  leave  came  to  tov/n  on  foot,  not- 


228  THE    CAPTIVES. 

withstanding  the  Consul  sent  a  servant  with  a  horse 
after  him  which  he  refused  to  mount.  The  truth 
was  now  at  issue  between  him  and  Mr.  Skjoldebrand. 
Mr.  Bailey  was  called  who  confirmed  the  circum- 
stance and  mentioned  others  that  were  present. 
Donaldson  said  he  must  have  forgotten  it  but  if  he 
had  promised  him,  he  had  no  objection  to  grant  me 
the  same  favor.  I  answered  that  as  a  favor  I  did  not 
wish  it;  that  I  had  determined  not  to  have  anything 
to  do  with  the  vessel,  even  could  I  obtain  her  gratis 
— and  thus  was  our  x^mbassador  detected  in  a  false- 
hood before  the  Swedish  Consul  and  his  own  country- 
men. 

OiT  the  24th  I  called  on  Mr.  Skjoldebrand  and 
found  him  very  much  displeased  with  Donaldson 
for  having  left  his  garden  so  abruptly.  He  said  that 
if  he  came  to  his  house  again  he  would  receive  him 
politely,  but  if  he  did  not  he  would  not  visit  him. 
But  Donaldson  went  the  same  day  to  dine  with  him 
sails  ceremonie,  as  if  nothing  improper  had  hap- 
pened. The  same  day  his  Excellency,  the  Dey,  said 
that  he  would  fulfill  his  promise,  and  dictated  the 
following  terms  on  which  peace  might  be  made  with 
Tunis  and  desired  me  to  take  them  to  Mr.  Donaldson, 
and  if  he  agreed  to  them  we  might  conclude  that 
our  peace  was  made.  I  met  Donaldson  at  the  Swed- 
ish Consul's  house.  He  valued  the  articles  as  stated 
in  the  terms,  but  said  that  he  could  not  make  any 
arrangement  with  Tunis,  as  he  had  no  orders  on  the 
subject  from  Col.  Humphreys.  I  went  to  the  Dey 
and  informed  him  that  Mr.  Donaldson  was  waiting 
orders  on  the  subject,  and  requested  him  to  consider 


NEGOTIATIONS    IN    BARBARY.  229 

the  negotiation  open,  and  to  write  to  the  Bey  of 
Tunis  to  abstain  from  acts  of  hostility  until  answers 
arrived  from  Lisbon,  and  at  the  same  time  informed 
him  that  it  was  my  opinion  that  the  United  States 
would  not  give  more  than  $50,000  for  peace  includ- 
ing a  present  of  stores;  and  that  they  would  never 
pay  any  tribute  to  Tunis  or  Tripoli;  that  they  would 
sooner  arm  to  protect  their  commerce,  and  requested 
the  Dey  when  he  wrote  to  the  Bey  to  do  away  the 
impression  that  we  would  become  tributary,  if  any 
such  existed.  The  Dey  said  that  he  had  proposed 
the  terms  with  a  view  to  our  interest;  that  he  would 
write  to  the  Bey  on  the  subject  and  would  do  all  the 
good  he  could  without  committing  himself,  for  said 
he  "I  am  a  Musselman."  I  continued  my  conversa- 
tion with  the  Dey.  The  particulars  I  communicated 
to  Mr.  Humphreys  under  this  date. 

Tuesday  27th,  I  was  directed  to  obtain  letters  of 
introduction  for  the  son  of  Ibraim  Raise,  and  others 
in  his  company,  directed  to  our  Ministers  and  agents 
at  Marseilles,  Paris,  and  the  Hague,  and  to  specify 
therein  that  the  Dey  would  become  responsible  for 
all  his  acts,  drawing  of  bills  of  exchange,  freighting 
of  vessels,  etc.,  and  had  great  trouble  to  persuade 
him  to  do  it,  and  was  obliged  to  state  to  him  in  very 
plain  terms,  the  absurdity  as  well  as  the  evil  ten- 
dency of  refusing  them.  "You  are  in  debt,"  said  I, 
"nearly  ;^6oo,ooo  on  the  payment  of  which  the  peace 
of  your  countrymen  depends.  The  person  to  whom 
you  are  in  debt  asks  you  for  simple  letters  of  intro- 
duction for  one  of  his  subjects  which  you  refuse  to 
give,  when  it  would  be  to  the  interest  of  the  United 


230  THE     CAPTIVES. 

States,  was  he  to  receive  the  whole  sum  in  Paris; 
but  the  Dey  does  not  ask  you  to  give  him  a  credit 
on  our  Ministers  or  agents,  but  only  to  say  that  he, 
the  Dey,  has  given  him  the  power  to  draw,  and  that 
his  bills  will  be  paid."  At  length  he  wrote  the  letters, 
and  I  took  them  to  the  Dey  near  sunset.  In  fact 
this  same  Ambassador  of  ours  possesses  a  spirit  of 
contradiction  and  obstinacy  that  I  never  knew 
equalled,  and  I  am  afraid  will  ruin  our  affairs  if  the 
funds  do  not  arrive  very  soon. 

Wednesday  28th,  Messrs.  Skjoldebrand  and 
Baccri  advised  Mr.  Donaldson  to  make  a  voluntary 
present  to  Hadgi  Ally,  Ambassador  from  Tunis,  as 
he  had  great  influence  at  his  Court  and  would  es- 
pouse our  cause  when  our  negotiations  commenced 
with  that  Regency.  This  personage  was  Vikil  of 
Algiers  at  Tunis,  but  now  came  with  the  tribute  of 
oil  paid  annually  by  that  Regency  to  Algiers.  He 
arrived  here  in  a  Venitian  vessel  on  the  24th  inst. 
Mr.  Donaldson  requested  me  to  accompany  him, 
and  after  opening  our  business  and  securing  his 
promise  to  befriend  us  all  that  lay  in  his  power, 
we  made  him  a  peace  offering  valued  by  Baccri  at 
925  sequins.  On  the  29th  Mr.  Skjoldebrand  and 
myself  advised  Mr.  Donaldson  to  apply  for  a  truce 
with  Tunis,  to  which  he  consented  provided  it  was 
not  attended  with  any  expense,  and  said  he  would 
leave  the  management  of  that  affair  entirely  to  me, 
and  went  out  of  town.  The  30th  Mr.  Donaldson  came 
to  town  to  receive  his  letters  which  had  come  in  the 
Spanish  packet.  They  contained  no  good  news  or 
we  should  have  heard  it,  and  the  same  day  the  Dey 


NEGOTIATIONS    IN    BARBARY.  23 1 

sent  for  me  and  said  that  he  had  received  letters 
from  the  Prime  Minister  of  Portugal,  only  sixteen 
or  eighteen  days  old  inclosed  to  Don  Juan  Garrigo, 
stating  that  the  particulars  of  the  American  peace 
and  ransom  had  reached  Lisbon  through  him  via 
Ivica,  dated  the  8th  ult.  and  that  Portugal  solicted  a 
peace  on  the  same  terms.  Now  Don  Juan  Garrigo 
could  have  obtained  his  information  from  no  other 
source  than  the  Baccries,  which  is  proof  what  little 
confidence  can  be  placed  in  those  Jews,  who  would 
betray  the  secrets  of  any  nation  to  whoever  would 
pay  them  for  their  treachery.  Don  Juan  had  a  long 
conference  with  the  Dey,  and  read  the  letters  him- 
self which  deprived  me  of  knowing  all  their  contents; 
but  the  Dey  showed  me  the  seal  of  the  letter,  and 
said  that  if  he  did  not  prefer  the  annuity  of  America 
he  had  another  resource  and  he  had  it  at  his 
option  to  prefer  which  he  pleased.  I  returned 
him  thanks  for  the  preference,  and  the  Dey  hav- 
ing enjoined  secrecy,  which  no  doubt  he  had 
promised  himself  to  Don  Juan,  I  retired  and  believ- 
ing that  the  intelligence  would  be  of  much  use  to 
Mr.  Donaldson,  }  informed  him  of  it;  he  exclaimed 
that  it  was  impossible  and  said  with  an  oath,  that  he 
could  not  believe  it.  I  told  him  that  he  might  do 
as  he  pleased  in  that  respect;  that  I  had  no  interest 
in  bringing  him  any  information  that  I  had  not 
received,  and  was  quite  unhappy  at  invention,  and 
requested  him  to  keep  the  intelligence  secret 
whether  he  gave  it  credence  or  not,  when  this  Mo- 
hawk Ambassador  answered  "if  you  cannot  keep 
your  own  secrets  how  can  you  suppose  that   I  can 


232  THE    CAPTIVES. 

keep  them  for  you?"  The  Skjoldbrands  were  as- 
tonished but  advised  me  to  take  no  notice  of  the 
observation,  as  it  seemed  to  proceed  more  from  ig- 
norance and  petulancy  than  malice  or  a  bad  heart. 
On  the  31st  the  Dey  sent  for  me  and  desired  me  to 
make  out  a  list  of  the  Portugese  in  slavery — which 
I  did — and  at  the  same  time  took  the  liberty  to  in- 
form him  that  we  supposed  our  funds  were  in  Por- 
tugal; that  if  his  Excellency  meant  to  enter  into  any 
negotiations  with  that  power  before  our  affairs 
would  be  settled,  that  it  would  retard  them  very 
much,  and  policy  would  dictate  to  that  Court  to 
place  impediments  in  the  way  of  procuring  the 
money  or  of  shipping  it  after  it  was  procured,  in 
order  to  give  them  an  opportunity  to  settle  their 
own  affairs  first.  The  Dey  replied  "the  answer  I 
have  sent  Don  Juan  Garrigo,  to  send  relative  to 
peace,  I  am  sure  they  will  not  like,  but  if  they  wish 
to  ransom  their  slaves  I  have  no  objection."  I  took 
this  opportunity  to  inform  the  Dey  that  we  had 
given  presents  to  Hadgi  Ally,  and  requested  his 
Excellency  to  procure  a  truce  for  us  with  Tunis. 
He  said  he  had  spoken  to  Hadgi  Ally  already,  who 
had  promised  that  if  any  American  vessel  was 
captured  by  any  of  the  Cruisers  of  Tunis,  that  he 
would  use  his  influence  to  have  her  restored;  that  he 
would  speak  to  him  again  and  procure  a  truce,  for  it 
was  not  reasonable  for  him  to  expect  presents  for 
nothing.  Sunday,  November  ist,  Donaldson  came 
to  town  and  was  taken  very  ill  with  the  bilious  colic, 
which  was  succeeded  by  the  gout  which  kept  him 
confined  for  a  month. 


NEGOTIATIONS    IN    BARBARY.  233 

Sunday  8th,  between  those  dates  I  had  several 
conferences  with  the  Dey  and  Hadgi  Ally,  and  this 
day  procured  a  truce  for  the  United  States  with 
Tunis  for  eight  months,  guaranteed  by  the  Dey  of 
Algiers,  translated  it  and  took  the  original  to  Mr. 
Donaldson,  who  kept  his  bed  with  the  gout  and  colic. 

20th,  Donaldson  still  confined.  The  American 
mates  and  sailors  laid  siege  to  his  chamber  and 
insisted  on  his  procuring  them  leave  to  stay  in  town, 
as  they  said  that  they  had  as  much  right  to  be 
exempt  from  hard  labor  as  the  masters — and  I  think 
they  had  full  as  much.  Donaldson  told  them 
that  he  could  do  nothing  for  them  at  present, 
to  go  to  their  quarters  and  have  patience  a 
little  longer,  and  they  would  be  redeemed.  They 
cursed  him  for  an  old  hickory  face,  etc.,  and  hoped 
that  he  would  be  brought  up  standing  before  another 
month  and  left  him.  I  wrote  to  Col.  Humphreys 
and  informed  him  of  the  truce  with  Tunis  which 
took  place  on  the  8th  inst.,  but  did  not  send  a  copy 
of  the  truce  as  Mr,  Donaldson  had  not  returned  the 
original  translation. 

December.  This  month  very  little  alteration  took 
place  in  our  affairs,  except  that  the  Dey's  impatience 
increased  daily.  Every  time  I  had  any  business 
with  him  he  vented  his  spleen  on  me.  He  said  that 
three  months  was  time  enough  for  money  to  arrive 
from  Lisbon;  that  by  my  persuasion  he  had  listened 
to  the  old  Tupal  (lame)  Ambassador,  and  was  pre- 
vented from  concluding  an  advantageous  peace  with 
Portugal;  that  I  had  deceived  him  and  that  his  peo- 
ple were  discontented  and  his  patience  was  nearly 
exhausted. 


234  THE    CAPTIVES. 

On  the  17th  I  received  answers  to  several  of  the 
circulars  which  I  had  sent  to  our  Consuls  in  Europe, 
one  from  our  Consul  at  Leghorn  being  a  prototype 
of  the  others.  Mr.  Donaldson  was  either  confined 
by  bad  health  to  his  chamber  or  when  well  enough 
was  at  the  Swedish  Consul's  country  seat,  I  had  not 
only  to  bear  the  reproaches  of  the  Dey  but  likewise 
of  our  own  people,  who  accused  me  for  not  getting 
leave  for  them  to  remain  in  the  city  exempt  from 
labor.  This  I  at  first  could  have  done  with  ease,  but 
now  it  was  impossible,  for  the  Dey  had  frequently 
threatened  to  send  the  masters  to  hard  labor  if  the 
funds  did  not  arrive  very  soon,  and  when  leave 
could  have  been  procured,  Mr.  Donaldson  discour- 
aged it,  and  refused  to  be  responsible  for  their  con- 
duct, therefore  it  would  have  been  very  improper 
for  me  to  have  done  it. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

BRITISH    AFFAIRS    AT    THIS    PERIOD. 

I  have  already  recorded  that  the  Cruisers  of 
Algiers  had  captured  twenty-two  sail  of  boats,  with 
more  than  two  hundred  coral  fishers,  natives  of 
Corsica,  who,  since  the  British  had  taken  possession 
of  that  Island,  were  protected  by  passports  issued  by 
the  British  Admiral  commanding  in  the  Mediter- 
ranean; but  the  Dey  refused  to  acknowledge  his 
authority  or  right  to  grant  them,  and  determined 
not  to  respect  them.  He  therefore  condemned  the 
boats  and  made  slaves  of  the  people,  which  pro- 
duced much  dissatisfaction  on  the  part  of  the  British. 
Their  Consul,  Mace,  soothed  and  threatened  them 
by  turns  with  British  vengeance,  but  all  to  no  pur- 
pose. "Shylock  was  determined  to  have  his  pound 
of  flesh,"  and  refused  to  release  the  Corsicans  until 
their  ransom  was  paid  in  hard  cash;  and  he  was  as 
good  as  his  word,  and  their  Consul  was  treated  with 
contempt,  and  frequently  with  menace,  for  at  that 
time  there  was  not  wanting  a  person  who  in  order  to 
promote  the  interest  of  his  own  country,  fomented 
the  discord  which  existed  by  exciting  the  Dey's 
avarice,  and  at  the  same  time  quieting  his  appre- 
hensions that  the  British  would  retaliate,  by  inform- 


236  THE     CAPTIVES. 

ing  him  that  they  were  not  in  a  situation  to  send 
any  force  to  Algiers  considerable  enough  to  annoy 
him;  for  the  consequence  of  letting  the  Toulon  fleet 
get  out  and  escape  them  would  be  of  much  greater 
importance  to  them  than  the  loss  of  the  whole  Is- 
land of  Corsica.  In  this  train  were  affairs  on  the 
6th  of  September,  the  ,day  after  the  treaty  was 
signed,  when  a  British  Privateer  belonging  to 
Gibraltar  mounting  six  guns  and  forty-five  men  was 
sent  into  Algiers  by  one  of  the  Bey  of  Mascaras 
Cruisers,  having  a  defect  in  her  passport  and  like- 
wise being  manned  with  a  motly  crew  of  Rock 
Scorpions  (a  vulgar  appellation  given  by  the  British 
to  the  nations  of  Gibraltar)  Spaniards  and  Italians, 
and  not  above  ten  Englishmen  among  them.  This 
vessel  was  called  the  Tyger,  and  was  commanded  by 
Capt.  Aselda,  a  native  of  Gibraltar  and  a  brother  of 
Dr.  Werner's  wife.  On  her  arrival  the  Dey  hesitated 
for  a  short  time,  but  ultimately  condemned  the 
vessel  and  made  the  people  slaves,  but  did  not  sell 
her  but  had  her  laid  up  with  every  thing  on  board 
as  when  captured. 

On  the  20th  of  October,  a  British  Frigate  an- 
chored in  the  bay  when  the  British  Consul  sent  a 
letter  to  the  Marine  to  be  sent  on  board,  which  was 
returned  to  him  in  the  evening,  and  the  Marine  gate 
was  shut  .before  the  usual  time  to  prevent  him  from 
going  on  aboard.  On  the  21st  Consul  Mace  went 
on  board  accompanied  by  the  Captain  of  the  Port, 
his  national  Drogoman  Broker  and  servant,  and 
after  a  conference  of  several  hours  the  Captain  of 
the   Port  was   desired  to  inform  the   Dey  that  the 


BRITISH    AFFAIRS    AT    THIS    PERIOD.  237 

treatment  which  the  Consul  had  received  from  him 
would  prevent  him  from  subjecting  himself  to  a  repe- 
tition of  it;  that  as  he  had  violated  the  treaty  with 
Great  Britain  and  refused  redress,  his  functions  as 
diplomatic  agent  had  ceased;  and  that  in  future  he 
would  receive  communications  from  the  British  Ad- 
miral through  the  Captains  of  his  fleet.  The  Al- 
gerine  subjects  returned  on  shore,  and  the  Consul 
and  his  servant  remained  on  board.  The  Dey  sent 
the  Captain  of  the  Port  on  board  again  and  desired 
the  Consul  to  come  on  shore,  and  inform  him  what 
were  the  demands  that  the  Captain  of  the  Frigate 
had  orders  to  make.  The  Consul  said  he  would  not 
interfere,  and  Captain  Hope  desired  him  to  inform 
the  Dey  that  he  had  orders  to  demand  the  Privateer 
that  was  captured  on  the  6th  ult.,  all  the  Corsicans 
in  captivity  and  the  value  of  twenty-two  sail  of  boats 
which  had  been  condemned.  The  Dey  sent  the 
Captain  of  the  Port  on  board  a  third  time  with  his 
negative,  and  to  inform  the  Captain  that  he  declared 
war  against  Great  Britain,  and  that  captives  would 
be  made  by  the  Algerines  in  forty  days  from  this 
date.  At  4  p.  m.  three  guns  were  fired  from  the 
light  house  castle,  and  war  was  formally  declared 
against  Great  Britain  by  the  Dey  of  Algiers  in  this 
manner,  as  Consul  Mace  had  taken  the  treaty  on 
board  with  him.  The  Frigate  immediately  hauled 
down  her  colors  and  hoisted  in  her  boats,  and  the 
Algerines  put  all  the  slaves  in  chains  two  and  two 
together  to  prevent  them  escaping  on  board.  Early 
in  the  morning  of  the  22nd  inst.  Mr.  Philip  Werner 
formerly   surgeon  to   the    British  Consul,  the  only 


238  THE    CAPTIVES. 

free  British  subject  at  Algiers,  received  orders  from 
the  Dey  to  embark  on  board  the  British  Frigate, 
and  the  Consul's  furniture  to  the  number  of  forty-five 
packages  were  in  the  Marine  ready  to  be  sent  on 
board,  when  a  large  vessel  appearing  in  the  offing, 
the  Frigate  got  under  way,  hoisted  French  colors 
and  went  in  chase,  in  consequence  of  which  the 
Consul's  furniture  was  sent  back  to  his  house  without 
being  touched.  On  coming  within  gun  shot  four 
guns  were  fired  to  bring  her  to,  and  a  boat  shortly 
afterwards  was  sent  on  board — she  proved  to  be  a 
Venitian  ship  from  Tunis  with  the  annual  tribute  of 
oils.  When  the  boat  returned  to  the  Frigate,  she 
crowded  sail  and  stood  to  the  eastward. 

On  the  24th  letters  were  landed  from  the  Venitian, 
which  had  anchored  in  the  bay  as  she  can  not  get  in 
in  consequence  of  calms  and  contrary  winds.  One 
from  the  British  Consul  Mace  directed  to  Dr.  Wer- 
ner, was  taken  to  the  Dey  by  the  Venetian  Consul's 
Drogoman,  no  doubt  by  his  orders.  His  Excellency 
broke  it  open  and  sent  for  me  to  read  it,  which  con- 
firmed him  in  his  resolution  and  calmed  his  appre- 
hensions; he  asked  my  opinion  to  which  I  answered 
keep  your  Cruisers  in  port  and  you  have  nothing  to 
fear;  the  British  are  not  in  a  situation  to  bombard 
Algiers,  and  must  redeem  the  Corsicans  toprevent 
a  revolt,  or  at  least  an  insurrection;  but  if  they  fall 
in  with  your  Cruisers,  they  will  take  them  in  order  to 
have  your  people  to  exchange  for  them.  "What, 
before  the  forty  days  expires?"  exclaimed  the  Dey. 
"Certainly,"  I  replied,  "you  took  their  vessels  before 
the  declaration  of  war,  and  your  saying  that  you  will 


BRITISH    AFFAIRS    AT    THIS    PERIOD.  239 

not  take  any  more  before  forty  days  expires,  does 
not  bind  them  not  to  take  your  vessels,  unless  they 
had  entered  into  a  regular  agreement  with  you  to  do 
so.  They  will  now  endeaver  to  get  as  many  of  your 
people  into  their  hands  as  you  have  of  theirs  in  yours, 
offer  an  exchange  and  then  start  fair."  "Why  did 
you  not  tell  me  so  before?"  asked  the  Dey.  **Be- 
cause  your  Excellency  never  asked  my  opinion,  and 
it  would  have  been  presumption  in  me  to  have  given 
it  unasked,  but  I  am  persuaded  that  in  forty  days  or 
at  most  in  two  months  that  you  will  make  your  own 
terms  without  running  any  risk."  "Allah!  Allah! 
Allah!  Those  that  have  sense  and  knowledge  of 
affairs,  are  silent  as  death  unless  they  are  asked  a 
question,  while  those  who  are  ignorant  and  know 
nothing  are  continually  babbling  and  leading  me 
astray.  Take  that  letter  to  the  English  Tabib 
(Doctor)  and  tell  him  to  leave  Algiers  in  the  first 
vessel  that  sails  for  Europe."  He  sailed  on  the  24th 
in  a  small  Spanish  vessel  bound  to  Majorca.  I  took 
a  copy  of  the  letter.  Affairs  with  Great  Britain 
remained  in  statue  quo,  which  prevented  the  Dey 
from  troubling  the  Consuls  of  other  nations. 

On  the  25th  of  December  t\^o  British  Frigates, 
the  Romulus,  Capt.  Hope,  and  the  Tartar,  Capt. 
Elphinston,  with  the  Honorable  Fred'k  North  on 
board,  as  Envoy  Extraordinary  from  the  King  of 
Great  Britain  to  the  Dey  or  Algiers,  arrived  in  the 
bay  and  on  the  27th  they  settled  their  affairs  as 
follows: 

I.  The  British  are  not  to  permit  the  Portuguese 
squadron  to  rendevouz  at  Gibraltar  or  to  stay  there 


240  THE    CAPTIVES. 

longer    than    to    procure    water     and     provisions. 
(This  article  is  vox  ct preterea  ?iihil/) 

2.  The  Gibraltar  vessel  is  to  be  restored  without 
ransom. 

3.  The  British  are  to  pay  600  Spanish  dollars 
for  each  of  195  Corsicans  now  in  captivity,  no 
indemnification  is  ever  to  be  demanded  for  the 
twenty-two  sail  of  Corsican  boats  which  where  cap- 
tured, and  the  Island  of  Corsica  is  to  be  considered 
by  the  Algerines  in  future,  as  the  Island  of  Minorca 
was  formely  and  Gibraltar  now  is. 

On  the  28th,  the  money  for  the  ransom  of  the 
Corsicans  was  paid,  and  they  were  embarked  on 
board  a  Spanish  vessel  chartered  for  the  purpose; 
the  British  flag  was  displayed  and  saluted;  the  Dey 
made  a  present  of  an  elegant  Turkish  scymeter  to 
Mr.  North,  who  hung  it  over  his  shoulder  with  a 
silk  cord  as  it  was  too  large  and  heavy  for  the  little 
fellow  to  wear  by  his  side  without  injuring  the  gold 
scabbard,  with  which  he  strutted  about  the  city  and 
tliought  himself  highly  honored;  and  on  the  2nd  of 
January,  1796,  embarked  and  sailed,  bound  to  Bastia 
in  Corsica,  leaving  the  Dey  to  congratulate  himself 
on  the  victory  he  had  obtained  over  the  first  Mari- 
tine  nation  in  the  world.  Is  it  then  to  be  wondered 
at  that  he  demanded  so  large  a  sum  for  the  peace 
and  the  ransom  of  one  hundred  citizens  of  the 
United  States  of  America  when  they  had  not  a  single 
vessel  for  war  afloat;  when  they  levied  a  contribution 
of  one  quarter  the  amount  on  a  nation  who  had  a 
fleet  within  six  days  sail  of  them  of  sufficient  force 
to  knock  their  city  about  their  ears,  and  Ho  destroy 
their  Cruisers  in  their  harbor. 


BRITISH    AFFAIRS    AT    THIS    PERIOD.  24I 

January  ist,  1796.  This  eleventh  year  of  my  cap- 
tivity was  ushered  in  by  a  siege.  Mr.  Donaldson 
was  confined  with  the  gout  when  the  American 
mates  and  seamen  took  possession  of  his  house; 
said  it  was  public  property;  that  they  had  as  much 
right  to  stay  in  it  as  he  had,  and  absolutely  refused 
to  go  any  more  to  work  in  the  Marine.  Mr.  Don- 
aldson desired  Sloan  to  persuade  them  to  go  away 
quietly;  but  they  refused  and  he  was  at  length 
obliged  to  send  for  the  guardians,  who  beat  them 
with  sticks  and  the  flat  of  their  swords  all  the  way 
down  to  the  Marine.  I  was  in  the  Dey's  palace 
when  a  complaint  was  lodged  against  them,  and  the 
Dey  actually  ordered  them  to  be  put  in  chains,  but  I 
interceded  for  them,  and  the  Dey  pardoned  them, 
but  declared  that  in  future  if  they  did  not  behave 
better  he  would  chain  them  two  and  two  together. 
I  went  out  and  informed  them  what  the  Dey  had 
said  and  they  abused  me  for  the  part  I  had 
taken  in  their  favor,  and  said  it  was  as  much  my 
fault  as  it  was  old  hickory's  that  they  were  con- 
tinued at  hard  work  at  the  Marine.  The  Dey's  im- 
patience increased  daily  and  as  he  considered  that  I 
was  the  chief  promoter  of  the  peace  with  the  United 
States,  not  a  day  passed  that  I  was  not  threatened 
and  reviled,  and  sometimes  scandalously  abused;  for 
as  Donaldson  had  never  been  to  the  palace  since  the 
presents  were  delivered,  I  was  regaled  with  the  part 
of  the  abuse  which  would  have  fallen  to  his  lot  had 
he  made  his  appearance.  Mr.  Skjoldebrand  advised 
Mr.  Donaldson  to  dispatch  a  packet  to  Spain  with 
letters  to  Col.  Humphreys,  to  learn   the   reason  why 


242  THE    CAPTIVES. 

the  funds  had  not  been  forwarded;  but  as  the  Span- 
ish packet  was  daily  e'xpected  it  was  determined  to 
wait  her  arrival,  in  hopes  that  she  would  bring  us 
some  good  news  from  headquarters  at  Lisbon. 
But  on  the  3rd  inst.  the  Dey  obliged  him  to  alter  his 
resolution,  for  he  sent  him  positive  orders  to  freight 
a  sandal  and  to  send  her  to  Spain  to  procure  in- 
formation direct  from  the  Ambassador  at  Lisbon, 
why  the  money  had  not  been  forwarded  according 
to  promise  and  promised  to  wait  until  the  return  of 
the  sandal;  but  declared  that  if  the  stipulations  of  the 
treaty  were  not  then  complied  with — in  part  at 
least — and  assurance  given  him  such  as  he  could 
rely  on,  that  no  unnecessary  delay  would  be  made 
in  forwarding. the  remainder,  that  he  would  turn  the 
old  Tupal  Ambassador  out  of  the  country,  undo 
everything  that  had  been  done,  cut  off  my  head  for 
having  persuaded  him  to  make  peace  with  the 
United  States  in  preference,  and  then  make  peace 
with  Portugal  on  the  same  terms  that  he  had  made 
with  us^or  even  for  less — in  order  to  have  the  great 
sea  open  to  his  Cruisers,  by  which  he  would  have  it 
in  his  power  to  be  amply  revenged  on  us  for  our 
breach  of  faith  by  the  capture  of  a  number  of  our 
vessels,  etc.  Mr.  Donaldson,  as  usual  when  there 
was  any  difficulty,  left  the  business  to  me  and 
requested  me  to  charter  a  sandal,  which  I  did  for 
$200,  to  go  and  return  from  Alicant  to  lay  there 
fifteen  days,  and  as  much  longer  as  the  American 
Consul  there  might  think  proper  to  detain  her  on 
paying  $2.00  per  diem  demurrage,  the  expense  of  her 
outfit  and  provisions  was  ^32.75,  which  with  freight 


BRITISH    AFFAIRS    AT    THIS    PERIOD.  243 

I  paid,  making  S232.75,  the  demurrage  was  paid  by 
Mr.  Montgomery  at  Alicant.  A  certificate  was  pro- 
cured from  Mr.  Donaldson,  that  she  was  employed 
as  a  packet  by  the  American  Ambassador  at  Algiers, 
which  was  certified  by  the  Dey's  order  by  all  the 
Consuls,  and  a  bill  of  health  for  the  American 
sandal  packet  the  Independent,  Philip  Sloan,  master. 
The  American  flag  was  hoisted  on  board  and  she 
was  ready  to  sail  in  the  evening,  but  Mr.  Donaldson's 
dispatches  were  not  ready.  On  the  4th  I  informed 
the  Dey  that  the  sandal  only  waited  his  permission 
to  sail,  when  he  dictated  a  letter  to  Col.  Humphreys, 
and  while  I  was  writing  it  abused  me,  old  Tupal 
Col.  Humphreys,  and  the  whole  American  govern- 
ment, Blushidente  Vashintone  (President  •  Washing- 
ton) and  all  as  a  set  of  impostors  who  had  deceived 
his  predecessor  and  now  had  deceived  him,  and 
swore  by  his  beard  that  he  would  not  be  trifled  with 
much  longer.  I  enclosed  his  letter  in  one  of  my 
own  to  Col.  Humphreys,  and  the  sandal  sailed  at 
meridian  manned  with  twelve  Moors  and  com- 
manded by  Capt.  Sloan. 

January  28th  the  long  expected  Spanish  packet 
arrived  from  Alicant  and  brought  letters  from 
Col.  Humphreys  dated  December  14th,  informing  us 
that  funds  could  not  be  secured  at  Lisbon,  and  that 
O'Brien  had  been  sent  in  the  brig  to  London  to 
endeavor  to  procure  them,  and  were  informed  that 
Sloan  had  arrived  at  Alicant  on  the  6th  inst.,  like- 
wise that  Mr.  Montgomery  had  gone  to  Lisbon  on 
our  affairs. 


244  THE    CAPTIVES. 

On  the  29th  Mr.  Skjoldebrand  and  myself,  know- 
ing the  Dey's  capricious,  impatient  temper,  advised 
Mr.  Donaldson  to  send  a  small  present  to  the  Dey 
in  the  name  of  Col.  Humphreys,  as  in  return  for  the 
sword  the  Dey  had  sent  him,  and  to  inform  him  that 
it  had  not  been  in  our  power  to  procure  money  in 
Portugal;  that  Capt.  O'Brien  had  been  sent  to  Lon- 
don to  procure  it,  and  to  request  his  Excellency  to 
have  patience,  as  our  Ambassador  had  ratified  every 
article  of  the  agreement;  that  every  exertion  had 
been  made  to  raise  the  money,  but  that  owing  to  the 
war  there  was  so  great  a  demand  for  cash  that  it  was 
hard  to  be  procured  anywhere;  but  that  great  hopes 
were  entertained  that  it  would  be  procured  in  Lon- 
don, and  that  in  that  case  he  would  soon  receive  it. 
Mr.  Donaldson  positively  refused  to  make  any  more 
presents;  said  that  he  had  surpassed  his  limits 
already  and  cursed  the  hour  that  he  had  come  to 
Algiers.  At  2  p.  m.  the  Dey  sent  for  me  and  asked 
what  news  Tupal  had  from  the  packet.  I  informed 
him  as  before  stated,  and  added  that  the  impedi- 
ments placed  in  the  way  of  procuring  money  in 
Portugal,  was  most  probably  occasioned  by  his  hav- 
ing given  favorable  answers  to  Portugal,  who  wished 
to  engross  all  the  cash  herself  for  the  same  purpose; 
that  had  he  given  her  a  negative  at  once  I  had  no 
doubt  but  the  money  for  our  peace  would  have 
been  raised  in  Lisbon,  and  would  have  been  paid 
ere  now.  This  the  Dey  doubted  and  abused 
me  because  I  had  not  a  present  to  strengthen  his 
belief;  that  he  was  now  convinced  that  we  were 
trifling  with  him,  and    desired   me   to    inform    Mr. 


BRITISH    AFFAIRS    AT    THIS    PERIOD.  245 

Donaldson  that  if  the  stipulations  were  not  com- 
plied v/ith  in  one  month  from  this  date  he  would 
declare  the  treaty  void  and  order  him  out  of  the 
country;  "and  as  for  you,  sensa  fede,"  (without 
faith),  he  says  to  me,  "I  know  what  to  do  with  you," 
and  thus  saying  he  drew  his  hand  horizontally  across 
his  throat.  I  informed  Mr.  Donaldson  who  laughed 
and  said  he  would  have  hard  work  to  cut  off  my 
head  or  his  either,  we  had  such  short  necks.  Mr. 
Skjoldebrand,  who  was  present,  offered  his  influence 
to  have  it  commuted  to  a  roasting  at  Bebal  Wey'd, 
but  as  I  had  to  bear  the  brunt  of  all  the  Dey's  invec- 
tive and  abuse,  I  was  in  no  means  in  a  joking  mood, 
and  sat  down  to  dinner  dull  enough. 

On  Sunday  2ist  of  February,  1796.  In  the  house 
which  I  had  procured  for  the  masters  of  vessels  to 
reside  in  by  Mr.  Donaldson's  request  immediately 
after  our  treaty  was  signed,  a  scuffle  took  place 
between  Captains  Wallace,  Furnace  and  Newman, 
who  had  been  gambling  and  not  very  sober,  when 
the  two  former  fell  from  the  gallery  into  the  area  of 
the  house.  Wallace  was  killed  on  the  spot  and 
Furnace  had  his  arm  broken.  Capt.  Moses  Morse 
came  to  ask  my  advice;  I  told  him  to  make  the  re- 
port immediately  and  to  call  a  surgeon,  but  it  was 
too  late,  Wallace's  spirit  had  fled. 

On  the  morning  of  the  22nd  I  reported  this  acci- 
dent to  the  Dey.  He  said  that  he  was  glad  of  it; 
that  it  was  judgment  from  God,  because  we  did  not 
fulfill  our  engagements;  that  he  had  gone  to  where 
old  Tupal  and  I  would  be  certain  to  follow  him;  that 
I  was  good  for  nothing  but  to  be  the  harbinger  of 


246  THE    CAPTIVES. 

bad  news.  "Andar"  said  he,  **Andar  al  diable,  em- 
bustero;  canalle."  His  passion  was  so  great  that  he 
forgot  to  make  any  enquiry  about  the  manner  that 
Wallace  was  killed,  and  I  had  him  buried  imme- 
diately before  any  more  questions  were  asked;  for 
had  the  truth  been  known  those  concerned  would 
have  received  five  hundred  bastinadoes  each,  and  the 
others  would  have  been  sent  to  hard  labor  at  the 
public  works." 

On  Thursday  the  25th,  having  business  with  the 
Dey,  his  abuse  was  insufferable,  not  fit  to  be  recorded. 
He  swore  he  would  wait  until  the  arrival  of  Sloan 
but  not  an  instant  longer.  For  some  time  past  I 
have  led  a  miserable  life.  The  Dey  believes  that  he 
has  been  deceived  and  vents  his  spleen  upon  me, 
because  he  can  do  it  with  impunity.  Donaldson  has 
neither  sense  nor  feeling,  and  as  long  as  he  keeps 
within  the  pale  of  the  law,  that  is,  does  not  lay  him- 
self open  to  censure  by  surpassing  the  sum  to  which 
he  is  limited,  seems  quite  careless  for  the  result,  and 
is  not  sensible  of  the  importance  of  the  trust  reposed 
in  him  or  the  magnitude  of  the  injury  which  would 
result  to  the  United  States  should  the  negotiation  be 
broken  off  in  its  present  stage.  I  most  solemnly 
declare  that  was  I  charged  with  our  affairs,  that  I 
would  sooner  pay  $100,000  to  gain  time  to  fulfill  our 
engagements  than  stand  higgling  for  trifles,  and 
would  trust  to  the  candor  and  good  sense  of  the 
nation  to  justify  my  conduct.  A  diplomatic  char- 
acter must  always  have  a  discretionary  power,  more 
or  less  according  to  the  knowledge  which  the  execu- 
tive  possesses  who   frame  his  instructions.     In  this 


BRITISH    AFFAIRS    AT    THIS    PERIOD.  247 

case  our  executives  were  totally  in  the  dark.  They 
knew  nothing,  absolutely  nothing,  of  the  business 
entrusted  to  him  except  that  the  trade  of  the  Mediter- 
ranean is  of  great  value  and  worth  our  acquisition; 
that  the  liberation  of  our  people  is  indispensible  and 
their  capture  in  future  to  be  prevented  if  possible. 
Under  these  circumstances  a  man  who  would  hesi- 
tate to  prevent  so  great  a  calamity,  because  he  might 
be  censured  for  having  surpassed  his  orders,  which 
neither  brought  dishonor,  or  any  other  consequences 
of  an  evil  tendency  on  his  country,  for  a  few  bags  of 
money  which  in  comparison  (may  be  called  trash)  is 
not  fit  for  an  office  of  any  importance  at  a  distance 
from  home,  and  is  as  devoid  of  sense  as  he  is  of 
patriotism.  Yet  I  am  a  great  advocate  for  economy, 
but  saving  money  is  not  economy  when  the  interests 
of  our  country  require  the  expenditure,  in  order  to 
secure  either  a  great  political  or  commercial  object, 
which  can  not  by  any  other  means  be  obtained.  In 
this  opinion  Mr.  Barlow  and  myself  agreed,  although 
we  differed  on  minor  points,  and  let  the  reader  re- 
member that  so  far  Mr.  Barlow  has  had  no  agency 
in  our  affairs. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

ARRIVAL  OF    JOEL  BARLOW,   ESQ. 

In  this  state  were  affairs  on  the  4th  of  March, 
1796,  when  Mr.  Barlow  arrived  on  board  the  Ameri- 
can brig  Sally,  Captain  March,  from  Alicant. 
This  is  the  first  American  vessel  that  has  arrived 
since  the  declaration  of  independence,  those  that 
were  captured  excepted.  The  weather  was  very 
boisterous  and  the  winds  contrary,  which  prevented 
the  vessel  from  coming  into  the  mole  and  obliged 
her  to  anchor  in  the  bay  at  least  four  miles  from  the 
city.  Prior  to  the  arrival  of  Mr.  Barlow,  the  Jews 
had  reported  to  the  Dey  that  he  was  at  Marseilles, 
and  had  been  appointed  Consul  for  the  United 
States  at  Algiers.  This  report  I  endeavored  to 
suppress  but  the  Jews  insisted  that  it  was  true,  for 
he  had  the  Consular  presents  with  him,  which  he 
had  purchased  at  Paris,  and  read  to  me  the  letters 
they  had  received  from  their  correspondents. 

The  Dey  ordered  me  to  go  on  board  and  bring 
Mr.  Barlow  on  shore.  I  informed  his  P^xcellency 
that  the  weather  was  so  bad  that  a  boat  would  be  in 
danger  of  being  lost;  that  I  would  bring  him  on 
shore  the  next  day,  when  I  hoped  the  weather 
would  be  more   moderate.     Accordingly  on  the  5th 


ARRIVAL    OF    JOEL    BARLOW,    ESQ.  249 

I  procured  a  large  boat  with  eight  oars,  from  a 
Venitian  ship  that  lay  in  the  mole,  and  brought  him 
on  shore  completely  drenched,  as  the  sea  ran  very 
high  in  the  bay.  He  landed  in  the  Marine  and  went 
into  the  city  immediately  to  change  his  apparel.  I 
introduced  him  to  Mr.  Donaldson  precisely  six 
months  after  the  signature  of  our  treaty  with 
Algiers,  and  as  soon  as  I  changed  my  clothes  I  in- 
formed the  Dey  who  asked  why  I  had  not  informed 
him  that  I  was  going  on  board  for  him,  that  he 
might  have  been  saluted  with  five  guns  as  is  custom 
when  any  of  the  Consuls  of  other  nations  land.  I 
had  consulted  Mr.  Barlow  and  informed  him  what 
the  Jews  had  reported  to  the  Dey.  He  requested 
me  to  inform  his  Excellency  that  he  was  not 
appointed  Consul  yet,  but  that  probably  he  might  be 
hereafter,  I  therefore  informed  him  that  Mr.  Bar- 
low's commission  had  not  arrived  yet  from  the 
United  States;  that  when  it  did  1  would  inform  him, 
when  it  would  be  time  enough  to  give  the  Consular 
salutes.  The  Dey  was  in  a  very  bad  humor — said 
that  he  knew  what  to  do  with  the  Americans  and 
ordered  me  out  of  his  presence.  On  the  8th  the 
weather  had  become  moderate,  and  the  brig  hauled 
into  the  mole,  and  Mr.  Barlow's  effects  were  landed. 
He  gave  me  a  letter  from  Mr.  Sloan  of  the  ist  inst. 
and  sent  Micaiah  Cohen  Baccri  to  the  Dey  to  re- 
quest an  audience,  which  the  Dey  absolutely  refused 
to  givG  him. 

March  9th,  being  the  first  day  of  the  Moon  of 
Ramadan,  in  the  year  of  the  Hegira  12 10,  in  which  a 
Mussulman  neither  eats  or  drinks  from  daylight  to 


250  THE     CAPTIVES. 

sunset,  nor  is  even  permitted  to  take  a  pinch  of 
snuff,  but  feasts  all  night  and  literally  turns  night 
into  day  and  vice  versa.  Mr.  Barlow  prepared  some 
valuable  presents  in  order  to  present  to  the  Dey  to 
obtain  time  for  our  funds  to  arrive,  requested  the 
Jew  Micaiah  to  ask  the  Uey's  permission  to  present 
them,  and  at  the  same  time  to  give  him  an  audience; 
but  it  was  too  late,  and  abstinence  in  this  month 
added  to  Dey's  ferocity.  Had  those  presents  or 
those  of  less  value  been  presented  when  we  recom- 
mended Mr.  Donaldson  to  present  them,  the  sacri- 
fice which  Mr.  Barlow  afterwards  made  would  have 
never  been  demanded.  The  Dey  declared  that  he 
would  not  accept  of  any  presents  from  the  agents  of 
the  United  States,  and  that  as  soon  as  the  embargo 
was  taken  off  the  Port  he  would  send  them  out  of 
the  country.  On  the  nth  Micaiah  took  a  small 
silver  trunk  curiously  wrought  from  Mr.  Barlow  and 
said  he*would  present  it  to  the  Dey  for  his  daughter, 
in  his  own  name,  and  endeavor  to  draw  his  attention 
to  American  affairs.  But  here  the  Jew's  cunning 
did  not  avail,  the  Dey  said  he  might  send  it  to  her 
house  if  he  pleased,  and  desired  him  to  leave  him, 
as  he  was  going  to  sleep;  and  Mr.  Barlow  got  no 
thanks  for  the  trunk,  and  little  business  of  any  sort 
was  transacted  by  the  Dey  during  the  whole  of  this 
month. 

On  the  2ist  Mr.  Donaldson  asked  me  if  the  Dey 
had  sent  a  letter  by  Mr.  Sloan  to  Col.  Humphreys. 
I  told  him  he  had."  And  pray"  says  he,  "why  was  I 
not  informed  of  it?"  I  answered  because  it  was  the 
Dey's  particular  orders  that  he  should  not,  and  in 


ARRIVAL    OF    JOEL    BARLOW,    ESQ.  25 1 

consequence  of  his  own  good  advice  which  he  had 
given  me  on  the  30th  of  last  October,  which  was  too 
salutary  to  be  easily  forgotten,  and  that  he  had  said 
to  me  "if  you  can't  keep  your  own  secrets,  how  can 
you  expect  me  to  keep  them  for  you?"  Mr.  Barlow 
seemed  astonished,  and  said  that  under  those  cir- 
cumstances Mr.  Cathcart  could  not  have  acted  other- 
wise with  any  degree  of  propriety  or  self  respect. 

[Note. — Immediately  after  the  arrival  of  Mr. 
Barlow,  he  propounded  to  me  a  number  of  questions, 
requesting  information  under  the  several  heads  of  the 
civil  and  military  government  of  Algieres — revenues, 
legislation,  administration  of  justice,  opinions,  etc. — 
to  which  I  answered  in  part  by  placing  my  journal 
in  his  hands  and  the  remainder  in  oral  and  written 
communications,  from  which  he  formed  his  dispatch 
number  one  of  the  iSthof  March,  1796,  for  which  he 
received  the  thanks  of  the  Department  of  State. 
The  3rd  of  December  following  the  Moon  of  Rama- 
dan facilitated  the  measure,  as  the  Dey  slept  a  great 
part  of  the  day,  and  consequently  I  had  little  to  do 
in  the  palace.] 

On  the  28th  of  March  Mr.  Philip  Sloan  arrived 
by  land  from  Shershell,  a  town  forty  miles  to  the 
westward  of  Algiers,  where  the  sandal,  in  which  he 
came  from  Alicant,  had  put  in  with  contrary  winds. 
Our  agents  requested  me  to  accompany  Mr.  Sloan 
to  the  palace  in  order  to  explain  to  the  Dey  the 
purport  of  Col.  Humphreys  answer  to  his  letter  of 
which  he,  Sloan,  was  the  bearer.  The  Jew  having 
positively  refused  to  go  and  thus  in  every  instance 
when    any    difificulty    occured    I    was    requested    to 


252  THE    CAPTIVES. 

remove  it;  but  when  any  communication  was  to  be 
made  which  in  its  nature  would  be  agreeable  to  the 
Dey,  the  Jews  immediately  interposed  and  offered 
their  services,  and  when  of  a  doubtful  nature  they 
would  go  to  the  palace,  sit  in  the  coffee  room  and 
bring  a  lie  out  to  our  agents,  without  ever  having 
seen  the  Dey.  They  likewise  requested  me  to  in- 
form the  Dey  that  the  American  Consul  at  Alicant, 
had  brought  a  credit  with  him  on  Madrid  for  the 
necessary  funds,  but  that  at  present  the  exportation 
of  money  was  so  strictly  prohibited  in  Spain,  that 
unless  the  Dey  would  write  to  the  King  of  Spain  to 
grant  permission  to  embark  it  at  Alicant  it  would 
avail  us  naught,  which  they  solicited  his  Excellency 
to  do,  as  it  would  facilitate  the  payment  in  a  very 
short  time.  At  6  p.  m.  we  waited  on  the  Dey,  who 
as  soon  as  he  saw  Sloan  asked  him  abruptly,  if  he 
had  brought  the  money  or  any  account  of  it.  I  told 
him  of  Col.  Humphreys'  disappointment  and  request- 
ed him  to  permit  me  to  read  his  letter  to  him,  and 
by  that  means  to  introduce  what  is  noted  above. 
The  Dey  got  out  of  patience,  called  both  Sloan  and 
me  "dogs  without  faith;"  gave  me  a  hearty  slap  on 
the  left  cheek;  took  Col.  Humphreys  letter  and 
threw  it  with  all  his  force  out  of  his  apartment  and 
ordered  us  to  quit  his  presence,  threatening  if  ever 
we  came  to  him  again  on  such  an  errand  to  be  the 
death  of  us  both.  I  said  "strike,  Effendi,  but  hear." 
Things  are  not  always  what  they  appear  to  be,  but 
this  tyrant  drew  his  attagan  that  was  under  the 
pillow  on  his  seat  and  we  had  no  alternative  but  to 
make  a  precipitate  retreat  taking  the  letter  with  us, 


ARRIVAL    OF    JOEL    BARLOW,    ESQ.  253 

which  Sloan  had  taken  up  in  his  flight,  (as  the  Dey 
did  not  follow  us  out  of  his  room)  which  he  returned 
unopened  to  our  agents — nor  was  it  ever  opened 
afterwards.  Mr.  Donaldson  laughed  and  said  it  was 
what  he  expected  and  that  if  he  smote  me  on  the 
left  cheek,  I  ought  to  have  "turned  him  the  right 
also"  and  fulfilled  the  Scriptures.  But  he  took  good 
care  not  to  run  the  risk  of  being  smitten  himself  and 
his  pleasantry  was  very  illtimed,  as  the  consequences 
resulting  therefrom  were  of  too  serious  a  nature  to 
make  a  joke  of,  besides  wounding  my  feelings  at 
such  a  crisis  argued  great  want  of  sense  and  propri- 
ety on  his  part.  Mr.  Barlow  seemed  to  regret  the 
indignity  I  had  suffered  and  said  it  was  no  dishonor 
to  be  insulted  either  by  a  fool  or  a  despot;  that  those 
who  offered  the  injury  were  the  persons  disgraced 
and  not  those  who  were  injured.  By  Mr.  Sloan  I 
received  letters  from  Col.  Humphreys  of  the  7th 
and  1 6th  of  February,  1796. 

It  was  the  opinion  of  Messrs.  Skjoldebrand,  the 
Jews,  and  indeed  of  all  concerned,  that  some  means 
must  be  taken,  and  that  immediately,  to  avert  the 
impending  storm.  The  Cruisers  were  out  and  we 
were  not  quite  sure  that  they  had  not  orders  to 
capture  Americans  as  well  as  Danes,  but  neither  one 
or  the  other,  or  any  other  news  from  the  Cruisers 
had  arrived  since  they  sailed. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

DEPREDATIONS    ON    DENMARK — CAUSE    OF. 

The  Danes  had  renewed  their  treaty  with  the  Dey 
and  Regency,  had  made  presents  to  the  Ministry, 
but  were  in  arrears  one  year's  tribute  of  Maritine  and 
Military  stores,  but  as  the  Consul  had  promised  that 
when  the  stores  would  be  forwarded  from  Denmark, 
two  or  three  years  annuity  would  be  forwarded  at 
once,  the  Dey  seemed  satisfied  and  Danish  affairs 
were  considered  to.  be  quite  settled  and  their  com- 
n}erce  in  no  danger  whatever  from  the  depredations 
of  this  Regency;  but  unfortunately  for  them,  about 
three  months  ago  a  Danish  vessel  with  three  hun- 
dred Turkish  soldiers  on  board,  recruited  in  the 
Levant  for  this  Regency,  was  captured  by  a  Neapoli- 
tan vessel  of  war  and  carried  into  Naples.  The  Dey 
sent  for  the  Consul  and  after  threats  and  abusive 
language,  asked  him  if  his  King  was  not  ashamed  to 
permit  the  dastardly  Neapolitans  to  insult  their  flag 
with  impunity,  and  declared  that  if  the  Turks  were 
not  delivered  up  in  a  certain  number  of  days — ^suf^c- 
ient  for  the  Consul  to  write  to  Naples  and  to  receive 
an  answer — that  he  would  declare  war  against  Den- 
mark and  make  him  and  his  family  slaves.  The 
Consul  immediately  dispatched  a  vessel  to  Leghorn 


DEPREDATIONS    ON    DENMARK — CAUSE    OF.         255 

with  letters  for  his  government  and  to  the  Danish 
Minister  at  Naples,  who  demanded  the  Turks  from 
the  Neapolitan  government,  who  refused  to  give 
them  up  unless  the  Minister  would  guarantee  the 
ransom  of  an  equal  number  of  Neapolitans  then  in 
captivity  in  Algiers  and  Tunis.  This  was  an  affair 
of  too  much  importance  for  the  Minister  to  decide 
on  without  instructions  from  his  Court,  as  the  ransom 
of  three  hundred  Neapolitans  would  have  cost  his 
nation  at  least  ;^300,ooo.  On  the  other  hand  in  con- 
sequence of  the  almost  general  war  in  Europe  and 
the  security  the  Danish  flag  gave  to  property  (or 
was  supposed  to  give)  in  the  Mediterranean,  he 
advised  the  Consul  at  Algiers  to  endeavor  to  com- 
promise the  matter,  if  possible,  on  the  best  terms  he 
could  obtain,  or  at  least  to  endeavor  to  temporize  as 
the  ports  of  the  Mediterranean  were  crowded  with 
their  vessels,  as  they  had  latterly  become  the  prin- 
cipal carriers  in  this  sea.  On  the  arrival  of  answers 
fromx  the  Minister  at  Naples,  the  Danish  Consul 
demanded  an  audience  and  assured  the  Dey  that  the 
Minister  had  used  all  his  influence  at  the  Court  of 
Naples  without  effect;  that  his  dispatches  had  been 
forwarded  to  Copenhagen  by  express  and  that  he 
had  every  reason  to  believe  that  the  reclamation 
would  be  attended  with  a  favorable  result,  but  that 
it  was  an  affair  of  so  much  importance  that  neither 
the  Minister  nor  himself  could  undertake  to  prom- 
ise, as  the  affair  must  now  be  settled  by  the  two 
Courts. 

The  Cruisers  were  nearly  ready  for  sea,  viz:    six 
sail   mounting  from    i6   to   44   guns   each.      Three 


256  THE    CAPTIVES. 

smaller  ones  remained  in  port  for  want  of  men  to 
man  them,  which  with  three  galliots  or  quarter 
galleys  compose  the  whole  Marine  offensive  force 
of  this  Regency,  which  three  Frigates  of  36  guns 
each  would  send  to  the  bottom  in  one  hour.  The 
Dey  declared  he  would  declare  war  against  Denmark 
immediately  and  put  the  Consul  in  chains  at  hard 
labor.  He  on  his  part  offered  to  pay  to  the  Regency 
fifty  thousand  sequins,  or  to  have  brought  from  the 
Levant  an  equal  number  of  Turkish  recruits  in  lieu 
of  those  in  Naples.  '"What!"  said  the  Dey  in  a  voice 
of  thunder,  "and  leave  my  people  slaves  in  Naples? 
Never,  do  you  think  that  I  am  a  Jew  or  a  Neapoli- 
tan? I  will  have  the  identical  men  now  in  Naples 
and  none  others.  What  would  my  Sovereign,  the 
Grand  Seignior,  think  of  me  where  I  to  permit  Turks 
to  remain  slaves?  What  would  my  own  soldiers  say? 
They  would  cut  my  throat  the  first  time  they  came 
to  the  pay  table.  Your  King  has  not  money  to  pay 
me  for  those  Turks— you  know  it  yourself.  I  must 
have  the  people  now  in  Naples  and  will  have  them, 
or  burn  you  and  all  the  Danes  in  Algiers  on  the  Jew's 
burying  ground  at  Bebal  Wey'd.  Go  to  your  house 
and  think  of  it.  You  shall  soon  hear  from  me  again." 
When  the  Cruisers  were  ready  to  sail  and  had  been 
furnished  by  the  Consuls  with  their  respective  pass- 
ports, including  those  of  the  Danes,  the  Dey  sent 
for  the  Consul  and  informed  him  that  he  did  not 
blame  him  personally  for  the  capture  of  his  people; 
that  he  blamed  his  nation  and  that  for  his  sake  he 
would  not  declare  war  against  Denmark;  but,  said 
he,  curling  his   whiskers,    "My    people   were   taken 


DEPREDATIONS    ON    DENMARK — CAUSE    OF.         257 

under  your  flag  when  we  were  at  peace.  I  have 
given  my  Cruisers  orders  to  capture  all  and  every 
Danish  vessel  they  may  fall  in  with — and  I  hope 
they  may  fall  in  with  one  of  your  Frigates  until  I 
have  as  many  of  your  people  in  my  possession  as 
Naples  has  of  mine.  Your  vessels  I  will  lay  up  and 
if  my  people  are  restored  to  me  I  will  restore  you 
your  vessels,  cargoes  and  people.  If  not  after  waiting 
forty  days  from  the  return  of  my  Cruisers  to  port,  I 
will  condemn  vessels  and  cargoes,  make  slaves 
of  your  people  and  declare  war  against  Denmark," 
The  Consul  attempted  to  remonstrate  but  the  Dey 
would  not  listen  to  him.  "Go  home,"  said  he,  "it  is 
Ramadan,  I  am  going  to  sleep;  and  you,"  addressing 
himself  to  me,  "inform  your  Tupal  Ambassador  what 
I  have  done,  inform  him  his  turn  will  come  next  and 
as  for  you  imposter,  who  have  been  the  means  of 
sending  a  passport  for  him  to  come  here  to  deceive 
me,  I  will  settle  my  accounts  with  you  very  soon," 
at  the  same  time  getting  up  from  his  seat,  putting 
his  hands  on  his  altagan  and  making,  with  the  edge 
of  his  hand,  a  motion  in  imitation  of  the  soldiers 
when  they  behead  Christians  at  the  palace  gate. 

The  Cruisers  went  out  and  by  the  20th  of  April 
returned  with  thirteen  sail  of  Danish  merchant 
vessels  all  loaded,  some  very  rich,  valued  at  about 
half  a  million  of  dollars — and  three  Genoese  of  little 
value.  By  the  intercession  of  the  Consul  and  some 
presents,  the  Danish  vessels  were  laid  up  with  their 
yards  and  topmasts  struck,  sails  unbent  and  their 
officers  and  men  were  permitted  to  remain  onboard, 
the  Dey  declaring  that  if  the  Turks  were  not  returned 


258  THE    CAPTIVES. 

from  Naples,  at  the  expiration  of  40  days,  he  would 
condemn  them  and  make  slaves  of  their  crews, 
about  120  in  number.  I  left  with  dispatches  before 
the  forty  days  expired,  but  I  was  afterwards  informed 
that  the  Turks  were  returned  and  the  vessels  and 
cargoes  liberated.  But  the  officers  and  crews  had 
been  plundered  by  the  crews  of  the  Cruisers,  for 
which  they  never  received  any  redress. 

RAMADAN. 

I  have  already  noted  that  Mr.  Barlow  landed  in 
Algiers  on  the  5th  of  March,  1796,  but  the  presents 
were  not  landed  until  the  8th,  in  consequence  of  bad 
weather;  and  on  the  9th  the  Ramadam  commenced, 
which  was  probably  the  principal  cause  why  Mr. 
Barlow  was  refused  an  audience.  At  any  other  time 
the  Dey  would  have  admitted  him  was  it  only  to 
have  had  the  pleasure  to  intimidate  him  with  threats 
and  abusive  language;  but  during  this  month  the 
true  believers  feast  all  night  and  think  proper  to 
sleep  the  greater  part  of  the  day  and  when  they 
transact  business  do  it  in  a  very  summary  manner. 
Consequently  during  this  month  more  acts  of  flagrant 
injustice  are  done  than  in  all  the  rest  of  the  year, 
as  an  example  I  will  state  the  following  facts: 

On  the  5th  day  of  Ramadan — which  corresponds 
with  the  14th  of  March,  1796 — in  the  prison  called 
th'e  Bagnio  de  Gallera  two  Spaniards,  slaves  from 
Oran  named  Domingo  Gomez  and  Pedro  Delgada, 
quarreled,  when  Gomez  stabbed  Delgada  in  five 
different  places,  none  of  which  however  was  mortal. 
He  was  taken  to    the  Spanish  hospital  and  there  re- 


RAMADAN.  259 

covered.  Josef  Garcia  and  Pedro  Silvestre,  the  two 
Christian  corporals  who  had  the  superintendance 
of  the  prison  at  night,  endeavored  to  disarm  him  but 
he  stabbed  Silvestre  in  the  arm  and  Garcia  in  the 
abdomen,  who  died  an  hour  afterwards.  The  town 
was  alarmed,  the  Guardian  Monte  Negro  who  had 
the  keys  of  the  prison  came  in  with  several  armed 
men,  presented  a  pistol  at  Gomez  and  desired  him 
to  deliver  up  his  knife.  He  said  "fire,  and  if  you 
feel  valiant  enough  come  and  take  it."  But  none  of 
them  approached  him  and  for  three  hours  he  re- 
mained master  of  the  prison  surrounded  by  those 
tyrants,  armed  only  with  despair  jnd  a  common 
dutch  knife,  until  one  of  his  own  townsmen,  of  whom 
he  had  no  suspicion,  knocked  him  down  with  a  club. 
The  cowardly  Turks  then  overpowered  him  and  dis- 
armed him,  beat  him  most  cruelly  and  treated  him 
when  a  prisoner  most  unmercifully,  Gomez  reviling 
them  all  the  time,  calling  them  cowards  and  saying 
now  that  he  was  confined  there  were  many  who  had 
courage  to  maltreat  him,  who  a  few  minutes  before 
were  afraid  to  come  near  him;  that  he  knew  he 
would  soon  die  and  that  he  only  regretted  that  he 
had  not  sacrificed  all  those  villains  who  had  caused 
his  despair — especially  the  traitor  who  had  knocked 
him  down — and  that  before  he  was  beheaded  he  had 
not  the  power  to  revenge  the  indignities  he  now 
suffered  from  them.  Gomez  was  a  man  of  some  edu- 
cation, and  before  this  affair  was  esteemed  a  good 
man. 

It    was   my  duty    to    report    to    the   Dey,    every 
morning  at  day  light,  any  extraordinary  event  which 


260  THE    CAPTIVES. 

might  take  place  in  the  slave  prisons  at  night.  On 
the  morning  of  the  15th  I  informed  the  Dey  of  this 
event.  He  immediately  sent  for  Gomez,  who  was 
beheaded  before  the  palace  gate  by  a  soldier  who 
gave  him  three  strokes  with  an  attagan  before  his 
head  was  severed  from  his  body,  amidst  the  accla- 
mation   of   the    mob,   who   said  there  was  one  more 

Christian  gone  to and  the  soldier  said  he  wished 

such  a  job  every  day,  as  ten  patachas  gordas  (six 
dollars  the  reward  paid  to  the  executioner  by  the 
Regency)  would  be  of  more  service  to  him  than  all  the 
Christians  in  Barbary.  The  Dey  then  gave  me  the 
following  extraordinary  and  unjust  order:  "Go  im- 
mediately to  all  the  tavern  keepers  and  order  them 
to  pay  two  thousand  sequins  for  the  two  slaves  that 
are  dead  (one  of  them  the  Dey  had  beheaded) ,  for 
if  they  had  not  sold  intoxicating  liquors  they  would 
not  have  quarreled,  the  corporal  would  not  have  had 
to  interfere  and  I  would  not  have  ordered  the 
murderer  to  be  beheaded.  Inform  the  villains  that  if 
they  do  not  pay  the  money  that  I  will  confiscate  all 
their  taverns  and  other  property,  if  they  have  any, 
will  give  them  each  five  hundred  bastinadoes  and 
will  send  them  to  hard  labor  in  chains."  I  delivered 
the  orders  to  each  tavern  keeper  in  writing  and 
received  for  answer  that  they  were  poor  slaves  and 
had  not  the  money  to  pay;  that  the  Dey  was  the 
sword  and  they  were  the  flesh;  that  he  might  treat 
them  as  he  pleased  but  that  they  could  not  pay 
what  they  did  not  possess.  On  receiving  this  ans- 
wer the  Dey  became  outrageous  and  vented  his 
spleen  on  me  in  no  very  decent  manner  and  ordered 


RAMADAN.  26l 

me  to  inform  them  that  if  the  money  was  not  paid 
in  three  or  four  days  at  farthest,  they  might  depend 
that  he  would  do  as  he  promised  or  worse;  and  de- 
sired me  to  inform  the  chief  Guardian  artd  his  lieut- 
enant that  if  the  man  that  was  wounded  and  sent  to 
the  hospital  should  die  of  his  wounds,  they  should 
pay  one  thousand  sequins  for  him.  "The  Hasna 
shall  lose  nothing  and  tell  them"  said  he,  "not  to  put 
me  to  the  trouble  to  repeat  my  orders."  On  the  i8th 
the  Dey  demanded  an  answer,  which  was  the  same 
as  above.  I  endeavored  to  intercede  for  those  poor 
people,  when  this  tyrant  got  in  such  a  passion  that  I 
really  thought  he  was  insane;  he  abused  me,  said 
that  I  encouraged  the  tavern  keepers  to  disobey  his 
orders;  ordered  me  to  desire  the  Vikilharche  of  the 
Marine  to  send  all  the  Guardians  to  seize  all  the 
tavern  keepers  and  to  send  them  to  prison,  to  shut 
up  all  the  taverns  and  to  bring  the  keys  to  him. 
This  was  done  accordingly,  to  the  number  of  twenty- 
five,  and  about  as  many  servants,  whom  the  Dey  had 
not  included  in  his  order.  I  interceded  for  those 
last,  but  the  Dey  answered  "those  rascals  have  no 
money  as  they  do  not  receive  the  value  of  the  wine, 
but  they  shall  receive  the  bastinado  for  not  putting 
as  much  water  in  the  wine  and  brandy  which  they 
sell  to  Christians,  as  they  do  in  what  they  sell  to 
Mussulmen;  for  if  they  had  they  would  not  have 
been  drunk."  He  then  cashiered  the  chief  Guardian 
and  appointed  Monte  Negro  in  his  place,  because 
he  had  appointed  two  such  cowards  for  corporals 
who  would  let  one  man  kill  the  one  and  stab  the 
other.     It  now  being  past  the  time  for  punishment 


262  THE    CAPTIVES. 

for  all  who  are  bastinadoed  receive  their  quantum 
ofter  dor,  when  the  Mussulmen  come  from  the 
Mosque  at  half  past  one  p.  m.,  he  ordered  that  no 
provisions  should  be  allowed  the  prisoners  until 
after  that  hour  the  next  day  when  each  should  re- 
ceive five  hundred  bastinadoes  and  be  sent  to  hard 
labor  in  chains  and  then  they  may  eat  with  what 
appetite  they  can.  The  tavern  keepers  implored 
me  to  intercede  for  them.  I  informed  them  that  it 
would  be  more  than  useless  and  only  draw  the  Dey's 
displeasure  on  myself;  that  unless  they  promised  to 
pay  the  money  it  would  be  no  use  to  endeavor  to 
appease  the  Dey's  wrath;  that  all  I  could  do  would 
be  to  supplicate  the  Dey  to  give  them  time  to  pay  it 
in  and  to  extend  it  to  as  long  a  period  as  possible. 
These  poor  fellows  gave  me  carte  blanche  and  left 
it  to  me  to  make  the  best  agreement  I  could  for 
them  which  they  promised  to  ratify.  There  were 
twenty-five  taverns — I  owned  three  of  them —I  con- 
cluded that  if  each  tavern  keeper  would  promise  to 
pay  five  sequins  per  month,  the  Dey,  when  his  pas- 
sion was  over,  would  accept  the  terms  as  it  was  not 
the  money  he  cared  for  so  much  as  to  gain  his  point. 
Accordingly  in  the  morning  I  took  into  the  palace 
240  sequins,  my  quota,  to  begin  with  and  to  put  the 
Dey  in  good  humor  and  commenced,  ''Effendi,  I 
own  three  taverns,  it  would  not  be  just  to  permit  my 
tavern  keepers  to  suffer  because  they  have  not 
got  the  money  to  pay  to  the  treasury.  They 
have  promised  to  repay  me  this  sum  at  the 
rate  of  five  sequins  per  month.  The  other  tavern 
keepers   are   poor   and    have    promised    to    pay    at 


RAMADAN.  263 

the  same  rate  to  the  treasury.  It  is  my  duty 
to  collect  and  I  will  be  security  for  its  payment,  the 
treasury  is  rich,  Effendi,  I  am  poor,  but  I  have  com- 
plied with  your  commands.  I  implore  your  clem- 
ency. Accept  these  terms,  and  let  those  poor  fel- 
lows go  to  their  taverns.  They  are  half  starved  and 
nearly  dead  with  fear  already."  I  thus  took  the 
Dey  on  the-  weak  side  for  he  did  not  like  to  be  out 
done  in  anything  and  on  reflection  after  his  passion 
had  abated  and  he  had  eaten  a  good  supper  and 
smoked  his  pipe,  his  conscience  must  have  accused 
him  of  injustice;  but  he  had  made  so  much  noise 
about  this  affair  that  he  could  not  retract  without  a 
plausible  excuse  which  I  now  furnished  him.  Some 
of  the  Hodgas (Secretaries  of  State)  interceded  and 
the  Dey  said  "you  are  right,  the  treasury  is  not  poor, 
the  money  is  no  object  whether  it  is  paid  this  month 
or  in  a  twelve  month,  but  I  will  have  my  commands 
obeyed.  Take  your  money  out  and  pay  as  the 
others  have  to  pay,  but  recollect  I  hold  you  re- 
sponsible for  the  whole  sum."  He  therefore  gave 
orders  to  the  goaler  to  let  the  Christians  out  of 
prison  and  ordered  me  to  give  them  the  keys  of 
their  taverns.  I  kissed  this  tyrant's  hand,  thanked 
him  and  retired.  A  few  days  afterwards  the 
wounded  man  in  the  hospital  went  to  his  duty  again, 
the  chief  Guardian  was  reinstated  in  his  office  and 
everything  reverted  to  the  same  state  they  were  in 
before  this  affair  commenced;  but  before  I  left  Al- 
giers, on  the  8th  of  May,  1796,  I  was  obliged  to  pay 
the  whole  of  my  quota  of  the  mulct  and  my  suc- 
cessor in   office  was  forced  to  assume  the  responsi- 


264  THE    CAPTIVES. 

bility  for  the  tavern  keepers  which  I  had  incurred, 
besides  paying  one  thousand  sequins  for  the  office 
as  is  customary,  which  besides  considerable  per- 
quisites entitles  him  to  be  redeemed  by  any  nation  who 
either  concludes  a  treaty  of  peace  with  the  Regency, 
or  redeems  their  captives  without.  During  my  cap- 
tivity three  Escribanos  grande  were  redeemed  in 
this  manner  by  nations  of  which  they  were  not 
subjects  and  this  circumstance  renders  the  situation 
desirable.  As  I  did  not  return  to  Algiers  until  Feb- 
ruary, 1799,  when  Hassan  Pasha,  the  Dey,  was  dead, 
I  heard  no  more  of  this  most  flagrant  act  of  injustice. 

LITTLE    PROGRESS    IN    OUR    AFFAIRS. 

The  Dey  even  refused  to  admit  Mr.  Barlow  to  an 
audience  for  more  than  a  month  after  his  arrival,  had 
ordered  his  Cruisers  to  arm  preparatory  to  a  declara- 
tion of  war  against  the  United  States.  To  gain  time 
Mr.  Barlow  promised  the  Dey  a  present  of  a  Frigate 
of  36  guns  to  w^ait  only  three  months  longer  for  the 
funds  to  arrive.  This  time  was  deemed  insufficient  by 
every  well  informed  person,  but  Mr.  Barlow  said  "he 
would  trust  to  the  chapter  of  accidents"  as  we  could 
not  be  in  a  worse  condition  than  we  were  then  in. 
When  on  the  last  of  April  the  Dey  informed  me 
that  the  Regency  had  been  so  often  trifled  with  by 
the  agents  of  the  United  States,  that  he  had  no  con- 
fidence in  their  promises;  that  he  did  not  believe 
that  the  United  States  would  satisfy  them,  but  that 
he  would  send  me  with  a  letter  from  himself  to  the 
President  of  the  United  States  and  would  wait  nine 
months  for  his  answer,  provided  that  I  would  insure 


LITTLE    PROGRESS    IN    OUR    AFFAIRS.  265 

him  that  the  Frigate  and  stores  would  be  built  in 
that  period.  1  told  him  that  the  Frigate  could  not 
be  built  in  that  time,  but  I  would  promise  that  the 
stores,  or  a  great  part  of  them,  would  arrive  in  less 
than  nine  months.  He  then  ordered  me  to  be  ready 
to  sail  in  eight  days  from  that  date  and  I  departed 
with  his  letter  to  the  President  of  the  United  States 
and  Mr.  Barlow's  dispatches,  on  the  8th  of  May, 
1796,  having  been  in  captivity  from  the  25th  of 
July,  1785,  nearly  eleven  years. 

On  the  5th  of  May  the  Dey  ordered  me  to  write 
the  following  letter  to  the  President  of  the  United 
States.  On  the  6th  it  was  stamped  with  the  great 
seal  of  the  Regency  and  I  brought  it  to  Mr.  Barlow, 
who  then  took  a  copy  of  it  and  seemed  very  much 
pleased  with  it,  and  on  the  8th  I  embarked  on  board 
polacca  ship  Independent,  myself  master,  manned 
with  three  Christians  and  seven  Moors  bound  to 
Alicant.  In  the  morning  I  took  leave  of  the  Dey 
and  Grandees  of  the  Regency  and  received  my  dis- 
patches and  orders  from  Mr.  Barlow  and  at  meridian 
made  sail. 

The  following  is  the  Dey's  letter  to  the  President 
of  the  United  States: 

Vizir  Hassan  Bashaw,  Dey  of  the  City  and  Regency  of  Algiers, 

to   George    Washington,  President  of  the  United  States 

of  America.    Health,  Peace  and  Prosperity: — 

Whereas,  peace  and  harmony  has  been  settled  between  our 

two  nations  through  the  medium  of  two  agents  of  the  United 

States,  Joseph  Donaldson  and  Joel  Barlow,  and  as  eight  months 

have  elapsed  without  one  article  of  their  agreement  being 

complied  with,  we  have  thought  it  expedient  to  dispatch  James 

Leander  Cathcart,  formerly   our   Christian   secretary,  with  a 

note  of  such  articles  as  are  required  in  this  Regency,  likewise 


)LS| 


266  THE    CAPTIVES. 

with  a  form  of  a  Mediterranean  passport,  in  order  that  you 
may  furnish  your  Consul  resident  here  with  such  as  fast  as 
possible.     For  further  intelligence  I  refer  you  to  your  Consul 
resident  here,  and  to  the  said  James  Leander  Cathcart,  and  I 
pray  you  whatever  they  may  inform  you  of  to   forward   our 
negotiation,  may  be  fully  c»edited  and  that  said  Cathcart  may 
be  dispatched  with  such  part  of  the  articles  specified  in  our  ne- 
gotiation as  are  ready  with  all  possible  expedition,  for  which 
purpose  we  have  granted  said  Cathcart  a  Mediterranean  pass- 
port commencing  the  date  thereof  from  the  first  of  May,  in  the 
year  of  your  Lord,  one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  ninety-six. 
Done   in   the   Dey's   palace   by    our      ' — -"-^ 
order  and  sealed  with  the  great  seal    j    L   S 
of  this  Regency,  the  26th  of  the  Luna      .^^^^^ 
of  Carib,  in  the  year  of  the  Hegira, 
1210,  which  corresponds  with  the  5th 
of  May,  1796. 
[SIGNED]  VIZIR  HASSAN  BASHAW, 

Dey  of  the  City  and  Regency  of  Algiers. 

Algiers,  May  5,  1796. 
To  Mr.  Humphreys,  U.  S.  Minister  to  Lisbon  : — 

My  Dear  Sir— Mr.  Cathcart,  the  bearer  of  this,  is  well 
known  to  you  by  his  correspondence.  You  will  see  in  my 
letters  enclosed  for  you,  to  the  Secretary  of  State,  the  object 
of  the  Dey  in  desiring  Mr.  Cathcart  to  go  to  Philadelphia. 
His  intelligence  and  industry  will  doubtless  enable  him  to 
render  essential  service  in  that  business.  He  has  been  very 
useful  to  our  cause  here  and  on  that  account  I  beg  leave  to 
recommend  him  to  your  protection  and  confidence.  I  am, 
my  dear  sir,  with  great  respect  and  sincere  attachment,  your 
friend  and  servant,  JOEL  BARLOW. 

Algiers,  May  5.  1796. 
To  the  Secretary  of  State . — 

Sir:— Mr.  James  Leander  Cathcart,  the  bearer  of  this,  is 
the  person  whom  I  have  mentioned  to  you  as  being  desired  to 
go  to  Philadelphia  and  give  you  such  details  as  may  be  useful 
in  arranging  and  transporting  the  articles  for  the  peace 
presents  and  annual  tribute.  He  has  rendered  considerable 
service  in  our  affairs  here  by  his  intelligence  and  zeal  and  I 


LITTLE    PROGRESS    IN    OUR    AFFAIRS.  26/ 

doubt  not  but  he  might  be  usefully  employed  by  you  in  the 
above  mentioned  business,  or  in  any  other  way  in  which  you 
may  think  proper  to  make  use  of  his  services.  I  am  with 
great  respect,  your  obedient  servant, 

TOEL  BARLOW. 

To  Timothy  Pickering,  Esq.,  Secretary  of  State,  Phila- 
delphia. 

Copy  of  instructions  received  from  Mr.  Barlow 
before  my  departure  from  Algiers: 

Mr.  Cathcart. — 

Sir: — As  the  Dey  has  given  you  liberty  to  leave  this  place 
with  your  vessel,  that  you  may  go  to  Philadelphia  to  give 
such  details  of  facts  as  may  be  useful  to  our  government  in 
expediating  the  collection  and  transportation  of  the  peace 
presents  and  annual  tribute,  1  understand  that  in  considera- 
tion of  obtaining  your  liberty  and  putting  your  vessel  in 
activity  sooner  than  you  otherwise  could  do,  you  undertake  to 
make  the  best  of  your  way  to  Philadelphia,  at  your  own  ex- 
pense and  I  desire  that  you  would  proceed  by  the  way  of 
Lisbon,  deliver  a  packet  that  I  send  by  you  to  our  Minister 
there  and  receive  his  further  instructions  for  America, 

I  understand  likewise  that  you  will  touch  at  Alicant  and  I 
desire  that  you  will  deliver  a  packet,  that  I  send  by  you,  to 
our  Consul  there  and  in  case  that  you  proceed  through  Spain 
by  land  he  will  procure  you  the  necessary  passport. 

On  arriving  at  Philadeldhia  I  rely  on  your  intelligence 
and  zeal  in  giving  to  the  proper  officers  of  government,  the 
expediency  of  as  prompt  a  compliance  with  our  engagements 
here  as  the  nature  of  the  case  will  admit.  Wishing  you  a  safe 
arrival  and  all  prosperity  and  happiness,  I  remain,  sir,  your 
friend  and  servant,  JOEL  BARLOW. 

Algiers,  May  8,  1796. 

OBSERVATIONS  ON  THE  TERMS  OF  MY  VOYAGE. 

I  before  observed  that  the  Dey  ordered  me,  on 
the  29th  of  April,  to  get  my  vessel  ready  for  sea  as 
soon  as  possible.  I  informed  him  that  I  could  not 
get  people  to  work  her  there.     He  ordered  me  to 


268  THE     CAPTIVES. 

take  Moors  and  to  send  them  back  from  Spain  and 
in  consequence  of  my  promising  to  fulfill  the  voy- 
age that  he  would  give  me  a  passport  for  one  year 
from  the  date  thereof.  Mr.  Barlow,  in  his  instruct- 
ions, expressly  orders  me  to  go  at  least  myself  in 
person  to  Philadelphia  and  to  land  a  packet  at  Ali- 
cant,  from  thence  to  proceed  to  Lisbon  and  deliver 
a  packet  and  to  receive  further  instructions  from  our 
Minister  there  for  America.  Mr  Barlow  further 
says:  *'I  understand  that  in  consequence  of  ob- 
taining your  liberty  and  putting  your  vessel  in  ac- 
tivity sooner  than  you  otherwise  could  do,  you  un- 
dertake to  make  the  best  of  your  way  to  Philadel- 
phia at  your  own  expense."  Mr.  Barlow  does  not 
consider,  I  presume,  that  by  putting  my  vessel  in 
activity  it  is  putting  me  to  a  great  expense  and  he 
knows  how  little  my  circumstances  enables  me  to 
bear  them,  by  my  accepting  of  the  Dey's  passport, 
it  obliges  me  in  honor  to  perform  the  voyage 
direct,  exclusive  of  the  orders  I  have  received 
from  Mr.  Barlow,  so  that  I  cannot  accept  of  a 
freight  elsewhere  should  one  offer.  Every  can- 
did person  will  agree  that  these  terms  are  very 
hard  upon  me,  considering  the  lowness  of  my 
finances;  but  now  that  I  am  embarked  in  this  voyage, 
I  am  determined  to  go  through  with  it  even  should 
I  be  obliged  to  sell  the  vessel  to  defray  the  expenses 
of  the  voyage.  I  only  regret  that  the  lowness  of 
my  circumstances  will  make  me  feel  the  expense 
amazingly,  however,  I  can  only  add  it  to  the  differ- 
ent sums  of  money  I  have  advanced  to  my  brother 
sufferers  during  the  four  years  they  received  nothing 


OBSERVATIONS  ON  THE  TERMS  OF  MY  VOYAGE.  269 

from  their  country,  to  maintain  and  console  myself 
with  the  self  applause  of  being  conscious  of  having 
done  every  thing  in  my  power  to  relieve  their  dis- 
tresses and  alleviate  their  sufferings^ — have  left  no 
stone  unturned  to  serve  them  and  our  country.  I  am 
once  more  my  own  and  on  our  business  being  finally 
settled  in  Barbary,  our  flag  become  free  in  those  seas, 
our  commerce  extended  and  my  former  brothers 
restored  to  their  dearest  connections  and  long  lost 
patria,  I  shall  be  happy  and  thank  God  for  having 
placed  me  in  a  situation  that  enabled  me  to  be  of 
essential  service  to  our  cause  and  of  relieving  the 
necessities  of  my  distressed  fellow  citizens  in  a 
wretched  state  of  captivity. 

On  the  8th  of  May,  when  I  received  Mr.  Barlow's 
dispatches  for  Col.  Humphreys,  I  received  the  fol- 
lowing letters  and  instructions  from  him  before  my 
departure.  Never  was  a  parting  more  truly  affect- 
ing. It  is  impossible  for  me  to  describe  the  situation 
I  was  in  at  parting  with  Mr.  Barlow  and  my  worthy 
and  disinterested  friend  Mr.  Skjoldebrand,  but  more 
distressing  was  it  to  me  to  part  with  my  disconsolate 
brother  sufferers  and  leave  them  on  that  inhospitable 
shore;  indeed,  it  was  one  of  the  most  affecting  scenes 
that  can  possibly  be  comprehended.  Words  are 
insufficient  to  describe  my  sensations  in  such  cases. 
Silence  describes  our  feelings  much  better  than  the 
greatest  eloquence.  At  meridian  made  sail  after 
having  endured  every  indignity  that  a  fertile  brained 
Mahomedan  could  invent  to  render  the  existence  of 
a  Christian  captive  unsupportable,  and  having  gone 
through  every  scene  of  slavery  from  a  brick-layer's 


270  THE    CAPTIVES. 

laborer  and  carrying  heavy  stones  from  the  moun- 
tains, to  being  the  first  Christian  secretary  to  the 
Dey  and  Regency,  during  the  trying  period  of  ten 
years,  nine  months  and  fourteen  days,  the  remem- 
brance of  which  makes  me  tremble  with  horror. 

BEBAL    WEY'd. 

The  Christians  place  of  interment  at  Bebal 
Wey'd  situated  a  few  yards  above  high  water  mark 
on  the  Mediterranean. 

O!  Bebal  Wey'd  beneath  thy  sand 

My  brother  captives  he, 
Away  from  kindred  hearts  and  land 

From  sad  oppression  die. 

The  sighing  sea  upon  the  shore 

Their  requium  will  be, 
The  sprinkling  waves  will  tell  us  more 

Than  tear  drops  o'er  the  sea. 

And  I  am  spared  to  cross  the  wave 

For  those  that  yet  remain, 
To  help  you,  O!  be  strong  and  brave 

Till  you  are  free  again. 

Independent,  Alicant  Bay,  May  22,  1796. 

FROM  THIS  DAY  I  DATE  MY  FREEDOM. 

No  more  a  slave!     I  leave  the  shore 

Where  bondage  sore  oppressed; 
"I  am  my  own,"  accountable  no  more 

To  man;  I  put  my  trust  in  Thee, 
O  God!  aid  me  to  do  my  best 

For  those  who  wish  to  follow  me 
In  freedom's  land  to  rest; 

Rest,  where  the  stars  and  stripes  shall  wave; 
Should  they  for  freedom  fall. 

Better  to  fill  a  hero's  grave 
Than  suffer  a  tyrant's  thrall. 


OBSERVATIONS  ON  THE  TERMS  OF  MY  VOYAGE.  2/1 

Got  product  and  waited  upon  Mr.  Moritgomery 
to  dinner.  From  this  day  I  date  my  freedom.  Oh! 
heavens,  how  my  heart  bleeds  when  I  reflect  on  the 
servile  state  in  which  I  have  left  my  unfortunate 
fellow  citizens,  and  when  I  recall  how  many  of  them 
have  died  of  the  plague  and  now  lie  buried  in  the 
sands  of  Bebal  Wey'd.  Nearly  eleven  years  have  I 
lost  in  the  prime  of  life,  which  I  most  regret,  yet 
could  I  with  pleasure  bear  the  yoke  of  captivity  one 
year  more  to  see  my  former  brother  sufferers  restored 
to  their  patria,  liberty,  and  dearest  connections, 
which  pray  heaven  may  soon  ensue. 

May  28th.  In  order  to  fulfill  my  promise  to  the 
Dey  and  Mr.  Barlow,  to  do  justice  to  my  country 
and  to  be  the  means  of  forwarding  our  negotiation, 
and  of  course  of  seeing  our  countrymen  sooner  at 
liberty,  I  found  no  other  alternative  than  to  sell  a 
part  of  my  vessel  a  freight  (indeed  several) ,  I  could 
have  obtained  to  the  land  of  Barilla  at  £6  lOs  ster- 
ling per  ton,  but  I  could  not  accept  of  it  in  conse- 
quence of  my  having  the  Dey's  passport.  Had  I 
sent  the  vessel  to  Ireland  and  proceeded  myself  by 
land  to  Lisbon  and  from  thence  taken  my  passage 
to  America,  we  have  enemies  enough  to  have  in- 
formed the  Dey  of  it  and  exaggerate  every  particular. 
The  Dey  would  naturally  say  "I  have  given  my  pass- 
port to  him  in  order  that  he  should  proceed  to 
America  and  from  thence  return  to  Algiers  with,  the 
peace  and  annual  presents.  He  has  sent  the  vessel 
to  another  quarter;  of  course  he  has  disobeyed  my 
orders  and  does  not  intend  to  fulfill  his  promise." 
This  would  be  the  means  of  displeasing   the  Dey, 


?72  THE     CAPTIVES. 

and  he,  of  course,  would  retaliate  on  our  Consul,  Mr. 
Barlow,  and  imagine  that  we  were  trifling  with  him 
altogether,  which  might  cause  a  good  deal  of  un- 
easiness and  trouble  and  may  be  expense  to  adjust. 
I  therefore  sold  one-third  of  my  vessel  for  ^i,666, 
and  with  this  money  fitted  her  out,  got  provisions 
for  the  voyage  and  freighted  a  boat  to  carry  the 
Moors  to  Algiers,  after  paying  them  their  wages  and 
finding  them  provisions  for  their  passage  over.  On 
the  8th  of  June  I  got  under  way  but  was  obliged  to 
come  to  an  anchor  again  on  the  9th  inst.  it  blowing 
hard  from  the  eastward.  I  was  obliged  to  slip  and 
leave  an  anchor  and  cable  and  put  to  sea. 

Alicant,  June  5,  1796. 
Joel  Barlow,  Esq.,  Algiers. 

Dear  Sir: — In  my  last  I  informed  you  of  my  safe  arrival 
here,  and  at  present  refer  you  to  Mr.  Montgomery's  letters  for 
information  relative  to  our  affairs.  I  have  received,  since  my 
arrival  here,  two  letters  from  our  mutual  friend  Col.  Hum- 
phreys, but  they  contained  nothing  of  importance.  I  have 
likewise  forwarded  to  him  a  copy  of  all  the  papers  intrusted 
to  my  care,  which  were  open  in  order  that  he  might  have  an 
opportunity  to  forward  them  to  America  before  I  possibly 
could  arrive  at  Lisbon.  I  am  informed  by  Montgomery  that 
Capt.  O'Brien,  in  the  Sophia,  sailed  for  America  on  the  27th 
of  April,  and  by  the  last  letter  from  Mr.  Donaldson  he  says 
there  is  plenty  of  cash  in  Leghorn  and  no  impediment  in  em- 
barking it.  Mr.  Montgomery  has  informed  me  that  he  has 
forwarded  a  credit  on  Spain  for  the  whole  amount  of  the  nec- 
essary funds,  but  no  bills  have  yet  been  drawn  on  his  corres- 
pondents in  Spain.  However  he  will  inform  you  of  the  par- 
ticulars better  than  I  can.  I  have  freighted  the  boat  that  con- 
veys these  letters,  to  carry  the  Moors  over  for  $100,00.  The 
Moors  are  paid  to  the  4th  of  June,  whatever  may  be  due  to 
them  from  that  date  until  their  arrival  you  will  please  pay 
them  at  the  rate  of  $7.00  per  month  and  charge  it  to  my  ac- 
count.    I  have  nothing  more  to  add  but  beg  leave  to   repeat 


OBSERVATIONS  ON  THE  TERMS  OF  MY  VOYAGE.  2/3 

that  every  dispatch  that  is  possible  to  be  made  on  my  part 
you  may  depend  on.  I  have  been  at  great  expense  to  get 
sailors  here,  exclusive  of  my  paying  the  Moors  and  sending 
them  back  to  Algiers  at  my  own  expense.  But  that  is  of  little 
moment  to  me.  All  my  thoughts  are  employed  on  subjects  of 
greater  magnitude;  indeed  sir,  I  shall  never  be  happy  until 
our  affairs  are  entirely  settled  in  Algiers  and  my  former 
brother  sufferers  redeemed  from  thence — which  pray  God 
may  be  soon.  Dear  sir,  with  the  greatest  respect  and  sincere 
attachment,  I  remain  your  obedient  servant. 

JAMES  LEANDER  CATHCART. 

Extracts  from  the  Secretary's  letter  to  Mr.  Bar- 
low on  my  arrival  at  Philadelphia. 

Department  of  State, 
Philadelphia,  Dec.  3,  1796. 

Sir: — Captain  Cathcart's  barque,  in  which  he  came  from 
Algiers,  is  now  loaded  and  ready  to  sail  with  naval  stores  for 
that  place.  It  would  have  been  very  difficult,  at  this  time,  to 
do  more,  but  we  expect  to  load  several  vessels  in  the  coming 
spring  and  with  all  practicable  diligence  and  expedition,  the 
stores  necessary  to  fulfill  our  engagements  to  the  Dey,  will  be 
procured  and  forwarded.  Captain  Cathcart  will  remain  here 
and  it  is  proposed  to  employ  him  in  this  business,  by  which 
means  we  hope  the  articles  selected  for  the  Dey  will  give  him 
satisfaction.  The  sailing  of  this  barque  gives  me  a  sure  op- 
portunity to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  several  letters. 
Captain  Cathcart  has  given  me  an  open  letter  to  the  Dey  of 
Algiers.  I  observe  nothing  improper — if  any  part  however 
should  appear  otherwise  to  you  they  may  be  erased  or  sup- 
pressed in  the  interpretation  at  your  discretion.  He  brought 
a  letter  from  the  Dey  addressed  to  the  President  of  the  United 
States,  to  which  an  answer  is  now  enclosed,  which  the  Presi- 
dent desires  you  to  present  to  the  Dey  in  the  time  and  manner 
which  you  shall  deem  necessary  and  most  acceptable. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  with  great  respect,  sir,  your  most 
obediient  servant,  TIMOTHY  PICKERING. 


274  '^'HE     CAPTIVES. 

List  of  the  Americans  captured  since  the  King  of 
Spain  made  peace  with  Algiers  on  the  30th  of  June, 
1785,  with  what  became  of  them. 

SCHOONER    MARIA   OF    BOSTON,   JULY   25,    I785. 

Isaac  Stephens,  by  general  redemption,  1796. 
Alexander  Forsyth,  by  general  redemption,  1796. 
James  Leander  Cathcart,  left  with  dispatches.  May  8, 1796. 
Thomas  Billings,  alias  John  Gregory,  redeemed,  1796. 
James  Harnet,  died  in  the  mad  house,  1793. 
George  Smith,  redeemed  by  friends,  1793. 

SHIP  DAUPHIN  OF  PHILADELPHIA,  CAPTURED   AUGUST   2,    I785. 

Richard  O'Brien,  left  with  dispatches,  September,  1795. 

Andrew  Montgomery,  in  general  redemption,  1796. 

Philip  Sloan,  redeemed  by  the  Dutch,  1794. 

Peter  Loring,  died  of  the  plague,  June  27,  1794. 

James  Hull,  taken  by  a  Neapolitan  Cruiser,  1796. 

Charles  Colvil,  redeemed  by  his  friends,  1790. 

John  Robertson,  redeemed  by  his  friends,  June  12,  1791. 

William  Patterson,  redeemed  by  his  friends,  Jan.  3,  1794. 

Peter  Smith,  died  of  plague,  Jan.  18,  1787. 

Robert  McGinnis,  died  of  plague,  1787. 

John  Doran,  died  of  plague,  July  i,  1787. 

Capt.  Zacheus  Coffin,  died  of  consumption,  July  2,  1787. 

Edward  O'Reilly,  died  of  plague,  May  8,  1788. 

William  Harding,  died  of  plague,  June  6,  1788. 

Jacobus  Tessanaer,  died  of  plague,  July  13,  1793. 

Of  twenty-one  captives  taken  in  1785  nine  died  of 
these  two  crews,  twelve  returned  home  at  different 
times;  no  more  Americans  captured  until  October, 
1793,  when  the  British  made  a  truce  for  Portugal, 
thereby  the  Straits  of  Gibraltar  were  left  open. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

EVENTS    FOLLOWING    MY    RELEASE. 

As  before  stated  I  left  Algiers  May  8th,  1796. 
I  cannot  express  my  feelings  on  standing  once  more 
on  American  soil,  after  so  many  years  of  trial  and 
degradation;  for  after  being  relieved  from  menial 
services  the  pressure  of  despotism  tainted  the  atmos- 
phere too  much  for  any  one  of  sensibility  to  bear. 
Still  in  the  employ  of  the  United  States  I  remained 
over  two  years  in  Philadelphia — my  services  were 
then  required  in  the  Barbary  States.  Having  lived 
in  a  country  were  the  formation  of  any  social  ties 
were  not  to  be  thought  of,  it  is  not  strange  that  in 
the  society  of  Philadelphia  I  selected  one  to  be  my 
companion  for  life.  On  the  5th  of  June,  1798,  I  was 
married  by  the  Rev.  Ashbell  Green  to  Miss  Jane  B. 
Woodside.  the  daughter  of  Capt.  John  Woodside,  a 
soldier  of  the  Revolution.  We  remained  in  Philadel- 
phia until  December.  On  the  20th  I  received  orders 
from  the  Secretary  of  State  to  call  upon  him  in  two 
days  for  instructions,  and  was  ordered  to  procure 
two  large  flags  for  the  consulates  of  Tunis  and  Tri- 
poli. On  the  2ist  spoke  to  Col.  Pickering  to  send 
some  superfine  cloth  with  us.  Mr.  Francis,  with  my- 
self, chose  several  pieces  of  the  best  colors  we  could 
procure.     Saturday,  December  22nd,  1798,  we  waited 


276  THE    CAPTIVES. 

on  the  Secretary  of  State  at  his  office  at  7  p.  m.,  and 
remained  there  until  12  p.  m.,  when  we  received  our 
instructions  and  took  leave  of  him.  Sunday,  23rd, 
left  Philadelphia  for  Port  Penn  with  a  stage  coach 
and  a  coachee  to  carry  the  cloth  and  colors.  Sunday 
evening  arrived  at  Wilmington;  Monday  proceeded 
on  our  journey — went  through  Delaware;  called  on 
Capt.  Geddes  with  Mrs.  Cathcart;  detained  in  regard 
to  having  the  pilot  taken  off,  remained  until  Friday, 
4th  of  January,  when  we  got  under  way  in  company 
with  the  ships  Hassan  Bashaw,  Skjoldebrand  and 
Gen.  Green,  and  stood  down  the  bay,  which  contained 
a  quantity  of  ice;  at  6  p.  m.  the  pilot  was  taken  from 
the  Sophia  by  the  Gen.  Green,  Cape  Henlopen, 
bearing  S.  W.  distance  two  leagues,  and  at  8  o'clock 
bore  W.  by  N.  five  leagues.  January  5th,  spoke 
brig  from  St.  Domingo.  Strong  gales.  Sunday,  6th 
2  A.  M.,  lost  sight  of  brig.  Sunday,  21st  January,  saw 
the  Island  of  St.  Mary's.  P'ebruary  2nd,  Cape  Tra- 
falgar bears  south  58  miles.  Monday,  February  4th, 
made  sail,  saw  Cape  Trafalgar  at  Centa,  at  night  we 
were  abreast  of  Grenada  mountains,  latitude  36:9. 
February  7th,  at  6  p.  m.,  Cape  de  Gatt,  N.  N.  E.  7 
leagues,  latitude  36:35.  Friday,  8th  at  8  a.  m.,  saw 
the  Barbary  coast,  bearing  from  S.  E.  to  E.  N.  E.  7 
leagues.  At  10,  we  were  abreast  of  Cape  Tenes. 
Saturday  saw  Cape  Caxiness  bearing  E.  and  by  E. 
8  or  9  leagues.  At  12,  passed  the  point  of  Pescado 
and  at  2  p.  m.  hauled  into  the  mole.  Mr.  O'Brien 
came  on  board  and  we  went  on  shore;  waited  on  the 
Vikilhadge  of  the  Marine;  and  thence  we  proceeded 


EVENTS    FOLLOWING    MY    RELEASE.  277 

to  Mr,  O'Brien's  barn,  where  we  were  received  as 
well  as  he  could  under  existing  circumstances. 

Saturday,  9th  of  February,  1799,  we  arrived  at 
Algiers,  where  we  found  the  three  vessels,  Hassan 
Bashaw,  Skjoldebrand  and  the  Lela  Aisha.  The 
Lela  Aisha  had  arrived  the  i6th  of  January,  the 
other  two  a  few  days  later.  The  Sophia,  on  which 
we  embarked,  arrived  on  the  9th,  sixteen  hours  after 
the  Hassan  Bashaw.  The  ship  Hero  has  not  been 
heard  from  since  the  second  or  third  day  after  she 
sailed.  We  have  reason  to  suppose  she  is  either  lost 
or  taken. 

Tuesday,  12th,  from  our  arrival  to  this  date  Mr. 
Eaton  and  myself  have  not  visited  any  person,  as  the 
prices  of  the  vessels  are  not  yet  adjusted.  We  have 
valued  them  as  follows: 

Hassan  Bashaw  ;^49,ooo;  Skjoldebrand  ;^28,ooo; 
Lela  Aisha  ;S2 1,000;  value  of  the  whole  ;^98,ooo.oo; 
value  at  Philadelphia  $78,689.38;  difference  ;Si9,- 
310.62.  Except  the  deduction  of  seamen's  wages, 
the  United  States  has  been  benefitted,  by  sending 
Cruisers,  the  sum  of  ^^19,3 10.62. 

The  Cruisers  are  now  discharging  their  cargoes 
and  will  be  delivered,  as  soon  as  the  Dey  agrees  to 
take  them,  at  the  aforesaid  value,  and  to  deduct  their 
value  from  our  national  debt — that  is  to  place  said 
sum  to  the  credit  of  the  United  States  in  lieu  of 
maratine  and  military  stores.  The  Dey  first  said 
that  as  the  United  States  had  given  Hassan  Bashaw 
a  Frigate,  he  expected  a  Cruiser  likewise.  O'Brien 
justly  contested  that  the  Frigate  was  a  gift  to  the 
Regency,  and  that  he,  of  course  became  an  heir  to  the 


278  THE    CAPTIVES. 

late  Dey's  interest  therein.  He  was  seconded  by  the 
Hasnagi  or  Prime  Minister  and  the  Vikilhadge  of 
the  Marine,  and  it  is  believed  at  present,  that  they 
will  be  received  according  to  our  wishes.  The  cur- 
rent report,  in  this  city,  is  that  Bonaparte  is  still  in 
possession  of  several  capital  places  in  Egypt — and 
has  fortified  himself  in  Grand  Cairo;  that  the  British 
had  taken  Mahon  and  blockaded  Malta;  and  that 
the  King  of  Naples  had  evacuated  Naples  and  fled 
to  Sicily.  On  the  19th  of  December.  1799,  an  Am- 
bassador arrived  from  the  Ottoman  Porte  with  a 
Caftan  (roll  of  honor)  and  firman  from  the  Grand 
Signor  and  orders  to  this  Regency  to  declare  war 
against  France,  and  likewise  to  take  all  Greek  ves- 
sels that  should  be  found  to  the  westward  of  certain 
boundaries.  The  Algerines  had  taken  several  sail 
but  were  afraid  that  they  would  be  claimed  by  the 
Grand  Signor;  therefore,  on  the  receipt  of  the  orders 
to  capture  said  vessels  they  considered  themselves 
very  fortunate,  and  the  ignorant  supposed  it  to  be  a 
mark  of  the  Dey's  penetration  and  judgment. 

On  the  2ist  of  December,  the  whole  French  lega- 
tion were  put  in  chains  and  sent  to  hard  labor,  where 
they  remained  46  days.  They  are  now  on  parole  in 
their  houses,  waiting  for  the  result  of  Bonaparte's 
expedition.  On  the  death  of  the  late  Dey,  the  Re- 
gency wished,  universally,  that  Mustapha  Agashould 
be  elected  but  he  preferred  being  Prime  Minister; 
therefore  Mustapha,  the  Prime  Minister,  took  the 
seat  and  the  Aga  was  preferred  to  the  seat  of  the 
Prime  Minister.  He  now  governs  both  the  Dey  and 
the  Regency,  as  the  Dey  is  incapable  to  govern  him- 


EVENTS    FOLLOWING    MY    RELEASE.  2/9 

self.  It  is,  therefore,  necessary  to  be  on  good  terms 
with  him.  The  Aga,  now  being  Prime  Minister,  is  a 
very  capable  good  man  and  is  friendly  towards  the 
United  States.  I  am  told  that,  contrary  to  the  cus- 
tom of  this  Regency,  he  despises  anything  that  has 
the  appearance  of  meanness  and  will  not  be  bribed 
by  any  one. 

Thursday,  14th  February,  arrived  Mr.  Matthias 
Skjoldebrand,  on  board  a  Swedish  Frigate  from  Mar- 
seilles. He  brought  his  wife  and  child  with  him. 
When  the  Frigate  came  to  anchor,  she  was  saluted 
by  the  Marine  fortifications,  with  21  guns,  which 
she  immediately  returned.  When  the  Consul  left 
the  vessel,  she  saluted  him  with  five  guns,  and  when 
he  was  received  on  shore  the  Castle  at  the  Marine 
saluted  him  with  the  same  number  of  guns.  On  the 
Consul  waiting  upon  the  Dey,  he  demanded  the 
Frigate  to  carry  the  Turkish  Ambassador  to  the 
Levant.  This  he  could  not  grant,  and  for  fear  of 
further  importunity  on  the  subject,  sent  his  brother 
away  the  next  day  to  Malaga.  Friday  15th,  I  wrote 
to  Col.  Pickering  and  Mr.  Smith,  but  the  Frigate  was 
sent  away  in  such  a  hurry  that  I  could  not  get  the 
letters  ready  in  time  to  send  on  board.  Sunday,  we 
returned  our  visits  to  the  Consuls — rather  improperly 
before  we  visited  the  Dey.  The  crews  of  the  vessels 
disputed  relative  to  returning  in  the  Polacca  Penrose, 
and  the  crew  went  on  board  the  Sophia.  Next  day 
the  vessels  were  delivered  up,  and  we  were  never 
apprised  of  it.  Mr.  Eaton  and  myself  were  treated 
very  impolitely  on  this  occasion.  Mr.  Eaton  re- 
marked, in  his  chaos  "That  we  ought  never  to  take 


280  THE    CAPTIVES. 

notice  of  an  injury  unless  we  found  ourselves  in  a 
state  to  chastise  the  offenders." 

February  22nd,  the  birthday  of  the  great  Washing- 
ton was  celebrated  by  the  discharge  of  thirteen  cannon 
from  the  U.  S.  Brig  Sophia.  We  visited  the  Dey  for 
the  first  time  since  our  arrival  here.  Mr.  O'Brien 
changed  his  goods  and  we  discharged  a  courier  by 
the  way  of  Spain.  I  wrote  two  letters  to  the  Sec- 
retary of  State.  Next  day  arrived  93  Frenchmen, 
prisoners  from  Cala,  a  French  fortification  on  the 
coast  to  the  eastward  of  Algiers.  They  were  used 
cruelly  on  the  road,  causing  the  death  of  four  of 
them.  Wednesday  the  27th,  eighteen  of  the  principal 
characters  were  taken  from  the  Marine  by  the  Jew, 
the  rest  remained  at  hard  labor.  Thursday,  I  re- 
ceived the  Dey's  letter  from  David  Baccri  for  the 
Bashaw  of  Tripoli.  He  advised  me  to  freight  a 
vessel  from  Algiers  to  Tripoli,  which  I  refused. 
Next  day  I  received  a  letter  from  Baccri  to  Farfara. 
What  is  in  it,  God  only  knows!  I  am  afraid  they 
are  coalesced  to  cheat  the  United  States.  March  2, 
at  I  p.  m.,  sailed  from  Algiers  bound  to  Tunis.  On 
the  8th  put  in  to  *Biserta,  in  a  gale  of  wind  and 
sailed  the  lOth.  Went  on  shore  and  could  not  get 
off  on  account  of  bad  weather  and  surf;  April  5,  ar- 
rived at  Tripoli  1799.  May  24,  1801,  sailed  from 
Tripoli,  in  consequence  of  the  Bashaw  declaring 
war  against  the  United  States.  June  2,  arrived  at 
Leghorn,  having  touched  at  Malta  and  landed  dis- 
patches for  government.    November  3rd,  1802,  sailed 

*A  seaport  of  the  Kingdom  of  Tunis. 


EVENTS    FOLLOWING    MY    RELEASE.  281 

from   Leghorn  on  board  the  Chesapeake,  bound  to 
Malta. 

TRIPOLI    IN    BARBARY. 

To  go  to  the  inner  harbor,  bring  the  battery 
on  the  east  side  to  bear  south  and  steer  direct  for 
it;  keep  to  the  eastward  of  the  eastermost  rocks, 
about  two  and  one-half  cables  length,  but  not 
much  more,  because  there  lies  a  bank  at  half 
a  mile  distance,  which  runs  almost  to  the  point  of 
Tagura,  on  which  there  is  but  five  or  six  feet  of 
water  in  the  channel.  Between  the  rocks  and  the 
bank  there  are  four,  five  and  six  fathoms  water. 
When  you  get  the  rocks  to  the  eastward,  bear  away 
W.  by  N.  and  anchor  in  five  fathoms,  sandy  bottom. 
The  small  channel  is  between  the  two  westermost 
rocks  where  you  have  twelve  and  thirteen  feet  of 
water;  keep  as  close  as  possible  to  the  eastermost 
until  you  clear  the  point  of  the  old  pier  or  mole- 
head  and  anchor  where  you  please — you  will  then  be 
among  the  other  vessels.  Between  the  eastermost 
rocks  there  is  a  passage  for  boats  but  rather  danger- 
ous, there  only  being  six  or  seven  feet  of  water  and 
many  sunken  rocks.  To  anchor  in  the  road,  bring 
the  Danish,  Swedish  or  American  flag  staff  to  bear 
south  or  south  half  east  and  anchor  at  any  distance 
from  the  shore.  About  four  miles  is  the  best  water 
and  bottom. 

Gibraltar,  April  5,  1803.  This  day  embarked  on 
board  the  United  States  Frigate  Adams,  Capt.  Camp- 
bell, by  the  order  of  Commodore  Morris,  bound, 
with    a   convoy,    to   the  eastward  as  far  as  Leghorn. 


282  THE     CAPTIVES. 

I  expostulated  with  him  upon  the  impropriety  of 
sending  me  to  Leghorn,  when  my  services  would  be 
needed  at  Tripoli.  He  said  that  if  he  wanted  me  he 
would  send  the  schooner  for  me.  6th,  received  a 
written  order  from  the  Commodore,  as  he  has  prom- 
ised to  be  off  Tripoli  in  June.  Had  I  remained  I 
should  have  given  an  impartial  detail  of  occurances. 
This  day  the  Chesapeake  sailed  for  the  United  States; 
has  my  dispatches  number  two  and  three  on  board. 
She  has  returned  home  without  once  being  on  her 
station.  7th,  got  under  way  in  the  Adams  with  seven 
sail  under  convoy,  bound  to  Malaga.  8th,  arrived  at 
Malaga  and  anchored  in  thirteen  fathoms  water,  the 
church  bearing  north,  distance  one  and  one-half 
miles,  in  good  holding  ground,  brown  easy  mud. 
9th,  got  under  way  and  made  sail;  left  one  of  our 
convoy  at  Malaga;  none  joined  us,  there  being  only 
two  American  vessels  ^in  port,  both  bound  to  the 
United  States.  lOth,  spoke  the  Swedish  Frigate 
Camilla,  thirty  days  from  Liverpool.  She  informed 
us  that  a  Tripoline  Cruiser  of  sixteen  guns  is  out. 
This  is  the  same  one  that  Murat  Raiz  commanded 
last  cruise,  nth,  spoke  an  English  brig  from  Mar- 
seilles off  Cape  de  Gatt.  12th,  separated  last  night 
from  one  of  the  convoys — five  remain.  Number  151 
full  of  troops  from  Alexandria,  last  five  days  from 
Malta,  latitude  37:4  N.  entrance  of  Carthagena  N. 
one  quarter  W.  four  and  one-half  leagues. 

Easter  Sunday,  April  17th,  1803.  Anchored  off 
Alicant.  The  castle  on  the  hill  bearing  north  dis- 
tance three  leagues.  i8th,  Mr.  Montgomery,  our 
Consul,  came  on  board  and  invited  us  to    dine   with 


EVENTS    FOLLOWING    MY    RELEASE.  283 

him,  which  we  did  not  comply  with,  being  under  way. 
One  schooner  joined  us  here  and  the  ship  Venus, 
which  had  separated  from  us,  having  ah'eady  joined 
us  we  are  now  five  ships,  a  brig  and  schooner  in 
company  besides  ourselves — at  sunset  made  sail. 
20th,  last  two  days  fine  weather.  The  Island  of  Ivica 
bore  E.  N.  E.  and  Cape  St.  Antonio  on  the  Main 
S.  S.  W.  distant  about  six  or  seven  leagues.  We 
visited  Mr.  Reid  and  Capt.  Cronenshield.  2ist  April, 
the  Columbrettas  bore  S.  E.  and  Cape  Oropesa  N. 
W.  nearly  fifteen  miles  each;  tried  the  current  N. 
W.  one  mile  per  hour,  which  accounts  for  us  only 
making  a  north  course  since  yesterday,  although  we 
constantly  steered  N.  E.  the  Columbrettas  are  much 
higher  and  cover  a  larger  surface  than  is  laid  down 
in  the  chart.  They  bear  N.  N.  E.  distance  ninety 
miles  from  Cape  St.  Martin,  and  W.  N.  W.  ninety 
miles  likewise  from  the  Island  Dragoniere  near 
Majorca.  The  nearest  main  land  is  Cape  Oropesa 
distant  thirty  miles.  Spoke,  a  Spanish  brig  bound 
to  Porto  Rico,  kept  N.  E.  by  E;  fine  weather  and 
light  airs.  22nd  at  2  A.  m.,  were  called  to  quar- 
ters and  boarded  a  large  Spanish  King's  polacca, 
bound  from  Barcelona  to  Majorca  with  the  mail  and 
passengers.  22nd  at  5  a.  m.,  saw  Majorca  bear- 
ing south  by  east  fifteen  or  sixteen  leagues,  wind 
S.  W.  Steered  all  this  forenoon  E.  N.  E.  and  found 
the  current  sets  strong  to  the  northward  towards 
Teragona,  which  makes  it  necessary  to  keep  well  to 
the  eastward  to  get  round  Mount  Jouy  at  Barcelona. 
St.  John  de  Pinede,  there  are  several  smaller 
towns  interspersed  along  the  coast  of  Spain,  which 


284  THE    CAPTIVES. 

gives  it  the  appearance  of  a  continued  village.  We 
boarded  a  fishing  boat  and  purchased  some  fish. 
The  people  looked  healthy  and  were  decently 
clothed.  This  is  the  most  industrious  part  of  Spain 
as  the  people  receive  greater  encouragement  from 
the  governors.  Mount  Jouy  bore  west  one-half 
south,  distance  six  miles.  At  8  p.  m.,  it  is  worthy  of 
remark  that  the  wind  shifted  twice  in  different  points 
in  the  last  twenty-four  hours.  The  steep  declivity 
of  Mount  Jouy  bore  VV.  by  south  half  south  and  the 
light  house  on  the  end  of  the  mole  W.  N.  W.  distance 
four  or  five  miles.  24th,  anchored  off  Barce- 
lona, the  flag  staff  on  Mount  Jouy  bearing  W. 
N.  W.  about  three  miles  and  the  low  point  of  land 
which  makes  the  road  southwest  distant  about  five 
miles.  Went  ashore  with  Capt.  Campbell;  walked 
upon  the  Esplanada  and  Mall  until  9  o'clock;  re- 
turned on  board  heartily  tired  without  having  entered 
any  of  their  houses — no  great  proof  of  their  hospitali- 
ty. The  Danish  Consul  asked  us  to  enter  a  coffee 
house.  We  took  some  punch  which  we  paid  for  our- 
selves. This  being  Sunday  we  saw  some  thousands 
females;  I  never  saw  so  many  homely  creatures,  I 
doubt  if  you  could  find  so  many  should  you  search 
the  whole  states  of  America.  Tuesday,  26th,  at  11 
A.  M.,  Loretto  bore  N.  N.  W.  distant  five  leagues  and 
the  point  of  Palamos  near  Cape  St.  Sebastian,  N.  E. 
by  E.  half  E.  distance  from  this  point  to  Gorgona 
about  six  leagues.  Off  Leghorn  is  a  strait  course, 
there  being  nothing  to  bring  you  up  but  the  main 
land  on  one  side  and  Corsica  upon  the  other. 
27th     at    meridian,    the    land    near    Toulon  (Cape 


EVENTS    FOLLOWING    MY    RELEASE.  285 

Sepet)  bore  N.  N.  E.  half  E.  seven  or  eight 
leagues.  At  sunset  the  islands  of  Hieras;  bore  N.  E. 
by  E.  half  E.  seven  or  eight  leagues.  28th,  the 
islands  of  Hieras  at  5  A.  m.,  bore  N.  N.  W.  to  N. 
N.  E.  distance  nine  leagues.  At  meridian,  Cape 
Cavallo  in  Corsica;  bore  E.  by  S.  half  S.  twelve 
leagues.  29th,  kept  the  light  house  one  point 
on  our  starboard  bow  and  the  tower  of  Marsoc- 
co  nearly  right  ahead,  until  you  bring  the  tower  on 
the  shoal  of  Malora  abaft  the  beam,  you  may  then 
haul  to  the  north  and  anchor  where  you  please,  and 
wait  for  the  officer  to  take  the  ship  in.  The  tower 
of  Marsocco  E.  by  N,  and  the  tower  on  the  shoal  of 
the  Malora,  west,  are  about  one  and  a  half  or  two 
miles  from  the  shore.  There  is  a  valley  with  two 
round  hills  in  it,  which  appears  between  the  two 
high  hills  to  the  northward  of  the  tower  at  three 
leagues  distance,  the  tower  on  the  shoal  will  raise  its 
head  above  the  horizon  right  in  the  wake  of  this 
valley.     Sentenced  to  quarantine  of  fourteen  days. 

FAMILY   AT    LEGHORN. 

May  1st,  1803.  Sunday  came  ashore  to  the  Laza- 
retto and  found  my  family  all  well,  thank  God,  after 
an  absence  of  six  months,  in  which  time  nothing  was 
done  by  our  squadron.  In  May  the  King  of  Etruria 
died  and  the  Prince  was  declared  his  successor,  and 
the  Queen  chief  of  the  Regency,  during  his  minority. 
May  27th,  a  courier  arrived  from  France  and  brings 
us  intelligence  that  war  was  declared  against  France 
by  England  on  the  17  inst.,  and  by  France  on  the 
22nd.     On   the    30th    an  English  ship  was  seized  by 


286  THE    CAPTIVES. 

the  French  and  the  port  was  embargoed.  May  30th 
the  British  subjects  were  obliged  to  pawn  their  honor 
that  none  of  them  would  leave  Leghorn  until  further 
orders    from    the    French   General    Oliviere. 

MURAT,    BROTHER-IN-LAW  OF  NAPOLEON. 

Gen.  Clerck  is  at  Florence  and  Gen.  Murat  is  ex- 
pected daily  with  a  reinforcement.  July  21.  Re- 
ceived dispatches  from  the  Department  of  State. 
I  took  my  passage  for  Malta,  on  board  the  Ionic 
ship  Minerva — embarked  my  papers,  etc.  27th,  said 
ship  was  arrested  by  the  French  military  force  of 
this  garrison.     On  the  30th  I  disembarked  my  goods. 

Saturday,  July  30th,  at  10  p.  m.,  a  general  alarm 
took  place  and  all  the  French  troops  were  mustered 
to  receive  Gen.  Murat.  He  arrived  about  1 1  o'clock 
and  at  that  hour  of  the  night  lOi  guns  were  fired  to 
announce  his  arrival.  Sunday  31.  Great  illumina- 
tions— "Festa  di  Ballo  lUumiiiazione  al  Teatro." 
Monday,  August  ist.  By  a  letter  from  Frank  Degan, 
of  Naples,  to  his  cousin  Charles  Degan  here  (Leg- 
horn) of  the  25  of  July,  I  was  informed  that  the 
American  squadron,  ten  days  before,  was  at  Messina 
and  that  from  the  signals  on  the  light  house  of  St. 
Elmo  at  Naples,  it  was  supposed  they  were  in  sight 
of  that  port.  I  wrote  to  the  Commodore  the  same 
day,  and  postponed  my  departure  to  Messina.  This 
day,  a  sham  fight  was  exhibited  on  the  little  island 
of  Marsocco;  it  was  taken  and  Murat  said  that 
England  would  be  taken  with  the  same  ease.  He 
was  very  much  mistaken.  Tuesday,  Gen.  Murat  set 
off  for  the  baths  of  Pisa   at   2    p.    m.     There    are   at 


EVENTS    FOLLOWING    MY    RELEASE.  287 

present  about  4,000  troops  in  Tuscany.  Commodore 
and  Mrs.  Morris  are  enjoying  themselves  at  Messina, 
Naples,  and  Mount  Vesuvius  before  returning  to 
Ballston.  Mr.  Frank  Degan  has  written  on  to  have 
8.000  Spanish  dollars  ready  for  the  Commodore  and 
wife  on  their  return  here,  as  they  intend  to  leave 
Naples  on  the  3rd  of  August.  It  is  probable  that 
they  may  not  get  my  letter  of  the  ist,  and  it  will 
arrive  at  Naples  the  7th  or  8th.  Saturday  the  whole 
American  squadron  consisting  of  the  New  York, 
Adams  and  John  Adams,  prize  taken  from  the  Tri- 
politans.  and  the  Enterprize  schooner,  were  anchored 
in  the  roads.  I  went  on  board,  saw  the  Commodore 
and  delivered  the  duplicates  of  mine  of  the  ist  of 
August,  which  I  forwarded  to  him  at  Naples,  which 
he  did  not  receive.  (For  particulars  see  our  corres- 
pondence and  his  with  Tunis  and  Tripoli.)  Wed- 
nesday, 17th.  All  the  commanders  dined  at  my 
house.  i8th.  Sailed  in  the  Enterprise  schooner, 
Capt.  Hull,  bound  to  Malta,  to  receive  dispatches 
from  one  of  the  vessels  lately  arrived  from  the 
United  States,  and  proceeded  from  Gibraltar  for  that 
place.  Sunday,  2ist  of  August.  Commodore  Morris 
and  Mr.  Smith  set  out  for  Florence  to  ask  the  Queen 
of  Etruria,  whether  she  considered  the  port  of  Leg- 
horn a  French  port  or  not.  Poor  woman,  her  ans- 
wer will  be,  or  at  least  ought  to  be,  considering  the 
present  circumstances,  "Sir,  you  see  my  situation; 
the  French  troops  are  in  possession  of  Leghorn,  I 
therefore  must  defer  giving  answer  to  your  interro- 
gation until  a  more  favorable  opportunity."  24th. 
Sailed  the  John   Adams;  has  orders  to  touch  at  dif- 


288 


THE    CAPTIVES. 


ferent  ports  to  look  out  for  two  Tripolitans  fitted 
out  at  Algiers,  and  to  convoy  our  vessels  down  the 
strait. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

Saturday,  27th  of  August,  1803.  Embarked  on 
board  the  United  States  Frigate  Adams,  Capt.  Camp- 
bell, in  Leghorn  roads  bound  to  Tunis;  at  7  a.  m. 
made  sail  with  the  land  wind.  At  meridian  spoke 
two  English  Privateers  belonging  to  Jews  of  Gibral- 
tar; they  were  called  the  Dolphin  and  Fortune. 
They  had  been  out  forty-eight  days  and  had  taken 
eleven  prizes.  Those  that  have  not  been  retaken 
have  been  sent  into  Arguera  in  Sardinia.  They  had 
two  wounded  men  on  board.  Capt.  Campbell  sent 
the  surgeon's  mate  on  board  with  some  dressings 
for  their  wounds.  Spoke  the  ship  Perseveranza  un- 
der Imperial  colors,  from  Constantinople  bound  to 
Leghorn.  Light  airs  and  variable,  in  sight  of  Corsica 
Caprera  and  the  Island  of  Ella,  for  which  we  shaped 
our  course.  28th  at  8  a.  m.  Abreast  of  Plain  Island 
and  in  sight  of  Monte  Cristo,  which  bore  about  S. 
S.  E.  from  us.  Spoke  two  vessels  from  the  Black 
Sea  bound  to  Leghorn,  latitude  43:10.  At  sunset 
Monte  Cristo  bore  N.  distance  fourteen  leagues 
and  the  mouth  of  the  Straits  of  Boniface  west  twelve 
degrees.  Wind  N.,  steered  south  by  compass;  spoke 
several  sails  from  the  Levant  bound  to  Leghorn. 
29th.  Light  airs  from  N.  N.  E.  to  N.  W.,  passed 
several  sail;  spoke  a  Ragusee  bound  to  the  Levant; 


290  THE    CAPTIVES. 

Steered    per    compass    south    latitude    40:13     north. 
30th.     Made  Maritino  Thursday. 

September  ist,  1803.  This  day  made  Cape  Bon 
bearing  W.  S.  W.  distance  fifteen  leagues;  contrary 
winds  and  fair  weather;  nothing  extraordinary. 
September,  2  p.  m.,  came  to  anchor  in  Tunis  Bay; 
saw  the  Spanish  Frigate  the  Semillante.  Saturday 
3,  at  5  A.  M,,  went  ashore  at  the  Golletta  and  dis- 
patched a  courier  with  a  letter  to  Dr.  Davis;  came  on 
board  again  at  8  a.  m.  At  2,  Davis  came  on  board 
and  dined  with  us;  but  had  not  procured  permission 
for  us  to  land.  He  went  on  shore  at  4  p.  m.  Sunday 
a  boat  was  kept  on  shore  all  day;  but  no  news  was 
heard  from  Davis,  consequently,  are  not  informed 
of  the  reason  why  we  are  not  permitted  to  land. 
Shifted  our  birth  farther  into  the  Bay.  Monday  5th, 
the  Drogoman  came  on  board  with  a  note  from  Dr. 
Davis,  informing  us  of  the  Bashaw's  permission  to 
land,  saying  that  a  headache  must  plead  his  excuse 
for  not  receiving  us  at  the  Goletta,  as  it  is  custom- 
ary. Went  on  shore  with  Mr.  Campbell,  Mr.  O. 
Bannon  and  Mr.  Turner,  and  proceeded  to  Tunis, 
where  we  arrived  at  3  p.  m.  Requested  and  obtained 
permission  to  visit  the  Bashaw  next  day.  Mr..  Davis 
is  chagrined  because  he  has  not  received  letters  and 
funds  from  the  Secretary  of  State.  I  am  displeased 
at  his  arrogance.  He  espouses  the  cause  of  the 
Moors  against  the  captors  of  the  prize  Paulina. 
Tuesday  waited  on  the  Bashaw  in  company  with 
Capt.  Campbell,  his  two  officers  and  Mr.  Davis,  and 
were  received  politely.  I  delivered  the  President's 
letters  to  the  Bashaw.     He  requested  Capt   Camp- 


EVENTS    FOLLOWING    MY    RELEASE.  29I 

bell  to  wait  two  days  longer  for  an  answer  to  them; 
desired  me  to  make  my  further  communications  to 
the  Minister.  We  waited  upon  him  and  next  day 
was  appointed  for  business.  Davis  gave  me  a  letter 
this  day;  talked  of  accounts,  etc.;  his  words  and 
actions  by  no  means  correspond  with  each  other. 
He  went  out  to  a  country  seat  and  left  Campbell  and 
myself  to  spend  the  evening  as  we  could.  I  im- 
agine he  has  gone  to  intrigue  with  the  Sappa  Tappa. 
He  is  resolved  to  maintain  his  ground  if  possible 
and  I  will  not  prevent  him.  Wednesday,  7th,  Mr. 
Davis  at  almost  8  A.  m.  waited  on  the  Minister.  At 
9  offered  $24,000  every  three  years  in  order  to  in- 
duce the  Bashaw  to  make  some  alterations  in  our 
treaty;  refused;  said  he  asked  not  for  an  annuity;  he 
did  not  want  cash;  he  had  demanded  a  Frigate;  that 
Sweden,  Denmark  and  others  paid  him,  occasionally 
presents  m  maratine  and  military  stores,  etc.;  that 
the  Bashaw  would  not  receive  me  as  Consul,  ap- 
pointed Davis,  and  told  me  to  come  next  day  for 
the  Bashaw's  letter  to  the  President.  Conversation 
with  the  Minister  relative  to  the  Bashaw  and  other 
subjects.  Davis  demanded  funds  which  I  refused 
to  give  him.  Improper  conversation  ensues.  He 
said  he  would  rather  see  everything  held  dear  to 
the  U.  S.  detained  than  be  reduced  to  his  present 
embarrassments.  Saw  Hadgi  Unis  ben  Unis;  refused 
to  interfere  in  the  affair  of  the  prize  goods  pro  or 
con.  First  demand  six  or  seven  Scadi  of  Malta, 
second  $12,000.  Davis  declares  his  apprehension 
that  Capt.  Campbell  would  be  detained;  conversation 
on  that  head.  I  received  an  account  of  Davis'  dis- 
bursements amounting  to  $2,011;  returned  it  to  him. 


292  THE     CAPTIVES. 

Davis  assumed  an  air  of  imperiosity  and  menace. 
These  hints  to  be  properly  digested  when  on  board. 
Thursday,  8th,  at  the  palace  in  company  with  Capt. 
Campbell  and  Dr.  Davis  Hadgi  Unis  ben  Unis  pre- 
sented a  long  list  in  Arabic;  Davis  made  no  apposi- 
tion; promised  to  pay  for  the  whole  of  the  claim. 
Capt.  Campbell  and  myself  did  no  interfere  in  the 
least.  Stood  up  to  take  leave;  received  the  Bashaw's 
letter  to  the  President.  I  took  him  by  the  hand  and 
said,  in  the  Turkish  language:  *T  am  sorry  your 
Excellency  has  been  induced  by  the  false  insinua- 
tions of  the  enemies  of  my  country,  to  convert  the 
representative  of  a  far  distant  and  friendly  nation, 
to  the  necessity  of  becoming  a  courier.  This  is  an 
indignity  as  unexpected  by  me  as  it  is  unfriendly  to 
my  country  and  disrespectful  to  the  President." 
"Consul"  answered  he,  'T  mean  no  disrespect  to  you 
or  your  nation;  political  reasons  prevent  me  from 
receiving  you;  I  wrote  to  the  President  on  the  sub- 
ject; I  want  a  man  that  is  not  known  in  the  other 
parts  of  Barbary."  I  wished  him  prosperity,  and  he 
returned  the  compliment  by  wishing  me  a  good  voy- 
age. On  our  passage  to  the  palace  Davis  had  said 
he  was  apprehensive  that  Capt.  Campbell  would  be 
detained.  Capt.  Campbell  again  repeated  that 
the  ship  should  go  without  him;  that  he  had 
already  sent  an  order  to  the  Goletta  to  get  the 
ship  under  way.  We  returned  to  the  Consular  house 
and  being  determined  to  go  on  board  immediately 
after  surmounting  a  number  of  difficulties,  placed 
on  purpose  in  the  way  of  procuring  an  equipage,  we 
arrived  at  the   Goletta   at    3    p.  m.,    found    the    ship 


EVENTS    FOLLOWING    MY    RELEASE.  293 

under  way,  Davis'  Secretary  and  Drogoman  came  on 
board  with  us.  Davis  wrote  some  letters  with  a 
cigar  in  his  mouth.  I  wrote  to  the  Bashaw  suspend- 
ing Davis'  functions.  Could  not  do  it  before  for  fear 
Capt.  Campbell  should  be  detained.  Gave  him  ver- 
bal orders  which  he  refused  to  obey.  He  went  on 
shore  at  6  p.  m.  At  9:30  the  boat  returned  on  board 
and  we  made  sail.  Friday  9th  was  abreast  of  Galita, 
a  small  island,  high  land.  Between  it  and  the  main 
is  a  passage  six  leagues  wide  at  least.  Tuesday  13th, 
from  the  9th  to  this  date  favorable  winds  and  fair 
weather;  today  we  are  eighty  miles  north  of  Algiers; 
spoke  the  brig  Monroe,  Capt.  Porter,  45  days  from 
Baltimore,  bound  to  Leghorn;  wrote  by  her  to  Mrs. 
Cathcart.  Congress  has  consented  to  treat  upon  the 
cession  of  Louisiana.  14th,  saw  the  island  of  Ivica. 
15th,  at  8  A.  M.,  saw  Cape  Pallas,  bearing  north,  dis- 
tance twelve  leagues;  i6th,  saw  Cape  de  Gatt;  17th, 
near  Cape  de  Gatt  saw  a  latteen  sailboat  rowing, 
many  oars,  appearing  like  a  Barbary  half  galley. 
We  manned  our  boats  pursued  but  could  not  come 
up  with  her.  The  boats  returned  at  meridian  after  a 
chase  of  four  hours.  Sunday  i8th,  beating  to 
the  westward;  chased  a  vessel  close  to  the 
shore,  in  Almeria  bay.  At  8  this  evening 
we  were  abreast  of  Abdera  and  headed  W. 
S.  W.  nearly  the  whole  night,  with  a  fresh  breeze  at 
N.  W.;  nevertheless  at  6  a.  m.  on  Sunday  morning 
the  island  of  Alboran  bore  N.  from  us  two  leagues, 
the  current  having  set  us  to  the  S.  E.  so  far  that  we 
only  made  a  south  course,  though  we  steered  W.  S. 
W.     Caution  is  necessary  in  this  place  with  contrary 


294  THE    CAPTIVES. 

winds  in  long  winter  nights.  Our  boat  was  sent  on 
shore  on  this  island.  They  killed  two  comorants, 
fired  at  several  sea  lions  and  brought  two  cubs  on 
board  alive.  Sunday  saw  the  U.  S.  Frigate  Philadel- 
phia, Capt.  Baimbridge;  hoisted  our  distinguishing 
flag  and  made  the  signal  of  the  day,  to  neither  of 
which  did  we  receive  any  answer,  which  displeased 
Capt.  Campbell  very  much  and  with  reason.  She 
had  a  merchant  ship  in  company.  Spoke  the  U.  S. 
schooner  Vixen,  Capt.  John  Smith;  went  along  side 
of  her  at  ii  a.  m.;  she  gave  us  the  news  of  war  being 
declared  against  the  United  States  by  the  Emperor 
of  Morocco,  and  that  one  of  his  Cruisers  was  cap- 
tured by  the  Philadelphia  with  an  American  brig 
which  she  had  taken.  Monday  2ist,  spoke  the 
Nautilus,  Capt.  Sommers,  bound  down  with  the 
Phcenix  in  company.  At  sunset  the  Rock  of  Gibral- 
tar bore  W.  by  south  ten  or  twelve  leagues.  Tues- 
day 22nd,  Tetuan  bore  west  four  leagues  and  Centa 
point  N.  N.  W.,  distance  eight  leagues.  This  even- 
ing fell  in  with  the  Constitution  off  the  Rock.  Went 
on  board  and  received  my  dispatches  from  govern- 
ment. Presented  Commodore  Preble  and  Colonel 
Lear  my  communications  number  twelve.  Wednes- 
day 23rd,  anchored  in  Gibraltar  bay  where  we  found 
the  Constitution,  New  York,  and  Enterprize.  Went 
on  board  the  Constitution.  She  anchored,  Colonel 
Lear  went  ashore.  24th.  Got  permission  to  land; 
took  lodging  at  the  sign  of  the  ship,  all  other  places 
being  full.  This  evening  the  Constitution  sailed  for 
Tangiers  upon  a  cruise.  25th.  Came  on  shore  with 
my   baggage.       Capt.    Morris    took    charge    of   the 


EVENTS    FOLLOWING    MY    RELEASE.        *        295 

Adams,  and  Campbell,  the  New  York  at  meridean  to 
join  Capt  Rodgers  off  Mogador.  This  evening  sailed 
the  Adams  with  my  dispatches  for  the  United  States, 
also  letters  to  Capt.  Woodside.  I  delivered  my  con- 
sular seals  and  public  papers  to  Mr.  Lear.  27th. 
Heavy  rains  with  violent  peals  of  thunder  and 
tremendous  flashes  of  lightning,  but  not  high  winds. 
Thursday  arrived  the  Constitution  and  John  Adams, 
Capt.  Rodgers,  from  a  cruize  to  the  westward. 
October  i,  arrived  the  brig  Syren,  Capt.  Stewart, 
from  Philadelphia  in  twenty-eight  days.  I  called  on 
board  the  Constitution  and  the  John  Adams  and  left 
a  card  for  the  commanders.  October  2nd.  Went 
over  the  Rock  of  Gibraltar  to  the  tower  on  its  sum- 
mit, and  likewise  viewed  the  cave  of  St.  Michael, 
in  company  with  a  Spanish  gentleman,  Don  Francisco 
Gomez  y  Passo.  This  curious  work  of  nature  has  its 
entrance  about  half  up  the  rocks  where  a  small  plat- 
form has  been  made  probably  for  convenience  and 
to  make  a  turn  of  the  winding  road,  which  goes  up 
the  rock.  There  are  no  guns  on  it,  but  two  might  be 
placed  there  to  advantage  if  necessary.  You  descend 
about  thirty  feet  down  a  deep  descent  and  are  sur- 
prised to  see  the  magnificence  of  this  fabric,  which 
appears  like  the  ruins  of  an  ancient  theatre,  or  rather 
Gothic  structure  of  immense  height.  Its  peculiari- 
ties are  its  petrifications  and  a  lake,  as  it  is  by  some 
called,  but  by  me  supposed  to  be  a  subterraneous 
river,  whose  water  is  excellent,  had  it  been  stagnant 
it  would  have  petrified  long  ere  now,  and  a  pillar,  on 
the  right  hand  side  going  in,  of  petrified  water  which 
has  filtered  through  the  rock  from  time  immemorial, 


296  THE    CAPTIVES. 

probably  since  the  deluge,  and  forms  a  column 
among  many  others  by  which  the  roof  is  supported, 
on  the  top  of  which  is  an  image  in  all  appearance 
like  the  image  called  by  the  Spaniards,  Nuestro 
Lenora  del  Pillar,  or  our  lady  of  the  pillar  or  column. 
It  has,  likewise,  unfathomable  pits  of  different  forms 
and  extends  farther  under  the  rock  than  human  per- 
severance has  yet  found  out.  The  vulgar  opinion  is 
that  it  extends  under  the  Mediterranean  sea  to 
Morocco,  and  that  the  monkeys  visit  each  other  from 
Apes  Hill  and  the  rock  on  Mount  Calpo,  which  are, 
according  to  tradition,  the  Pillars  of  Hercules.  From 
the  cave  we  ascended  in  roads  cut  round  the  rocks 
to  the  tower  above  Europa  point,  which  is  the 
southermost  point  of  Europe.  This  was  built  by 
Gen.  O'Hara  in  order  to  make  and  answer  signals 
from  the  British  fleet  of  Cadiz;  but,  as  it  did  not 
answer  the  purpose  for  which  it  was  intended,  the 
British  government  refused  to  indemnify  the  general 
for  the  expense  of  building  it.  On  the  top  of  the 
tower  is  a  stone  on  which  is  the  following  inscription: 

This  stone  is  1,4.70  feet  above  the  level  of 

the  sea  at  high  water  mark. 

A.  D.  1800. 

And  above  the  entrance  of  the  tower  is: 

St.  George's  tower  erected  by  Gen.  Charles 
O'Hara,  Governor  of  Gibraltar. 
1799- 
October  2nd,    1803,  sailed  the   John    Adams    in 
quest  of  the  New  York.     October  3rd,   the  Constitu- 
tion, with  Commodore  Preble  and  Colonel   Lear  on 
board,  sailed  for  Tangiers,  this   evening,   in   conse- 


EVENTS    FOLLOWING    MY    RELEASE.  297 

quence  of  a  letter  arriving  from  Mr.  Simpson,  in- 
forming us  that  he  is  liberated  and  that  the  Emperor 
disavows  his  having  given  orders  to  Hadgi  Hassi, 
Governor  of  Tangiers,  to  capture  American  vessels, 
and  that  he  is  disposed  to  terminate  our  differences 
and  renew  the  treaty  between  the  nations  as  before. 
October  6th,  I  went  to  Algeceiras  in  Spain  and 
returned  the  gth.  It  is  a  miserable  place,  and  every- 
thing is  very  expensive.  October  nth,  by  a  boat 
from  Algiers,  was  informed  that  the  United  States 
had  concluded  a  peace  with  the  Emperor  of  Morocco 
and  that  the  firing  we  heard  was  our  Frigates  salut- 
ing the  Emperor.  Today  a  quarantine  was  laid  on 
all  vessels  from  Malaga,  in  consequence  of  the 
yellow  fever.  Yesterday  the  Syren  and  convoy 
sailed  with  the  Malbrouch,  a  prize  of  twenty  guns 
taken  from  the  Emperor  of  Morocco.  She  is  to  be 
sent  into  Tangiers  and  will  be  returned  to  the 
Emperor.  13th,  the  Syren  returned  and  brought  me 
a  letter  from  Colonel  Lear,  informing  me  of  the 
peace,  which  he  says  is  on  good  terms.  I  hope  it 
may  continue.  15th,  arrived  the  Constitution.  I 
waited  on  Colonel  Lear  at  Mr.  Gavinos  to  hear  the 
news.  i6th,  paid  my  respects  to  Commodore  Preble 
and  Capt.  Stewart  on  board  their  vessels.  i8th,  the 
New  York  and  John  Adams  sailed  for  the  United 
States,  with  the  Tripoline  Admiral's  ship  which  has 
given  us  so  much  trouble.  They  are  to  touch  at 
Tangiers  to  deliver  her  up  to  the  Emperor,  who  has 
promised  to  have  the  brig  and  property  which  was 
detained  at  Malaga  immediately  delivered  up.  I 
sent  my  baggage  on  board  the   Syren  and  am   only 


298  THE    CAPTIVES. 

waiting  for  fair  wind.  22nd,  the  wind  still  continues 
fresh  to  the  eastward.  The  Constitution  and  Enter- 
prize  sailed,  bound  to  Cadiz.  Several  of  our  men 
have  claimed  the  British  protection,  and  letters  have 
passed  between  Commodore  Preble  and  Capt.  Gore, 
of  the  Medusa,  and  Capt.  Hart  of  the  Monmouth. 
The  British  were  very  high  and  kept  the  men.  23d, 
sailed  the  British  convoy  under  the  protection  of 
the  Termigant,  Capt.  Petty,  who  takes  them  as  far 
as  Admiral  Nelson's  fleet,  who  is  now  off  Toulon, 
and  thence  will  proceed  to  Malta.  Mr.  Falcon,  the 
British  Consul,  who  was  turned  away  from  Algiers 
some  time  ago,  is  on  board  the  Termagant.  Admiral 
Nelson  has  orders  to  reinstate  him  in  his  office,  as 
the  British  disdain  the  idea  of  being  dictated  to. 
October  24,  in  the  evening,  I  embarked  on  board  the 
United  States  brig  Syren,  Capt.  Charles  Stewart, 
with  seven  sail  under  convoy,  bound  to  Leghorn. 
25th,  at  meridian  the  Rock  of  Gibralter  bore  N.  W. 
by  W.  distance  seven  or  eight  leagues;  light  airs  in 
the  south-east  and  eastward;  laid  by  for  one  of  the 
convoys.  At  7,  spoke  the  Trent,  who  we  were  wait- 
ing for;  made  sail  about  8  p.  m.  26th,  spoke  the 
brig  Monroe,  Capt.  Porter,  fourteen  days  from  Leg- 
horn, bound  to  Baltimore.  He  had  not  seen  my 
family  when  he  stopped  at  Leghorn;  had  only  been 
once  on  shore,  therefore  had  no  letters  or  news. 
At  5  p.  M.  the  Rock  of  Gibralter  bore  W.  distance 
nine  or  ten  leagues,  fresh  gales  and  heavy  sea. 
27th,  at  4  A.  M.,  having  made  the  signal  to  stay  or 
veer  the  ship  General  Wayne,  one  of  our  convoys 
did   not  attend  to  it  and  was  within  two  fathoms  of 


EVENTS    FOLLOWING    MY    RELEASE.  299 

running  us  down.  It  was  blowing  fresh  and  an  ugly 
sea  was  running;  had  we  touched  each  other  it  is 
probable  one  or  both  of  us  would  have  been  sunk. 
At  meridian,  28th,  this  morning  Malaga  church 
steeple  in  sight.  29th,  at  5  a.  m.,  Cape  Molinos;  bore 
W.  N.  W.  eight  leagues.  30th,  at  meridian,  calm; 
we  exercised  our  great  guns  and  small  arms.  At  8 
p.  M.,  saw  several  sail  to  the  eastward;  gave  chase 
and  came  up  with  them;  they  proved  to  be  the 
British  convoy  which  sailed  from  Gibraltar  the  23d 
inst.,  bound  to  Lord  Nelson's  fleet  off  Toulon  and 
Malta.  31st,  at  8  a.  m.,  Cape  de  Gatt  bore  E.  N.  E. 
distance  eight  leagues;  the  British  sloop  of  war  and 
her  convoy  in  sight,  distance  five  leagues.  Novem- 
ber I,  all  the  American  and  British  convoys  in  sight. 
At  8  A.  M.,  Cape  de  Gatt  bore  W.  N.  W.,  distance 
seven  leagues  from  last  evening.  At  sunset  the  S. 
W.  part  of  Cape  Pallas,  bore  N.  by  E.,  distance  fif- 
teen leagues.  2nd,  all  the  convoys  in  sight;  the 
British  far  astern  and  many  strange  sail  in  sight. 
3d,  at  9  A.  M.,  the  little  round  hump  of  land  to  the 
eastward  of  Cape  Antonio;  bore  N.  W.  by  W.,  dis- 
tance six  or  seven  leagues.  At  meridian  Cape  St. 
Antonio  N.  W.  by  N.  and  the  centre  of  Ivica  N.  E. 
by  E.  being  at  equal  distance  from  each  land  about 
seven  or  eight  leagues.  Friday  4th,  at  8  a.  m.,  the  Ter- 
magant, British  sloop  of  war,  hailed  us  and  informed 
us  that  they  wished  to  send  a  boat  on  board  of  us; 
an  officer  came  on  board  and  said  he  was  ordered  to 
ask  permission  to  search  the  brig  Fame,  of  Baltimore, 
as  they  had  reason  to  suspect  her  having  property  of 
theenemiesof  Great  Britain,  she  having  come  direct 


300  THE     CAPTIVES. 

from  Batavia  and beingbound  to  Leghorn.  On  search- 
ing her  documents,  it  was  found  that  the  cargo  was  bona 
fide,  the  property  of  citizens  of  the  United  States.  The 
captain  said  he  was  misinformed  and  sent  her  papers 
on  board  immediately  and  made  sail  in  quest  of  his 
convoy.  This  is  precedent,  that  it  is  permitted  by 
our  ships  of  war  to  visit  the  ships  under  their  convoy 
by  the  ships  of  war  of  another  nation,  but  not  by 
privateers.  i  p.  m.  Ivica  bore  east,  and  Cape  St. 
Antonio  N.  W.  by  W.;  at  6  p.  m.  Ivica  bore  N.  E.  by 
E.  5th  at  sunrise  the  south  end  of  the  island  of 
Fromenterra,  bore  E.;  the  north  end,  bore  N.  E.  by 
N.;  the  south  end  of  Irica,  bore  S.  E.  half  E.  and  the 
north  end  E.  by  S.  half  S.  At  8  a.  m.  Ivica  bore  E. 
N.  E.,  distance  of  three  leagues;  pleasant  gale,  S.  S. 
E.;  steered  N.  E.  by  E.  Cape  St.  Antonio,  bearing 
W.  N.  W.  nine  leagues  distant,  appears  high  and 
insulated,  something  like  Saba  near  St.  Eustatia. 
You  can  see  the  land  westward  of  it  which  is  not  so 
high.  At  meridian,  Cape  Nemo  in  the  island  of 
Ivica;  bore  southeast  ten  miles  distant,  and  the  island 
of  Dragoniere  near  Majorca  E.  by  N.,  distance  forty 
miles.  6th,  Sunday.  West  end  of  Majorca;  bore 
S.  by  E.,  distant  fourteen  or  fifteen  leagues.  7th  at 
8  A.  M.,  Cape  Fromontel;  bore  S.  E.  by  E.,  distant 
nine  leagues.  At  5  p.  m.  the  east  end  of  Majorca; 
bore  S.  half  E.  At  7:30  the  ship  Gen.  Wayne  left 
the  convoy  by  permission  and  hauled  to  the  S.  E., 
being  bound  to  Zante,  her  track  is  exactly  the  cruiz- 
ing ground  of  the  Tripolines,  this  season.  At  8  p.  m., 
fine  breeze;  all  the  convoy  in  sight,  but  they  cannot 
keep  up  with  us.     Had  we  been  by  ourselves  we 


EVENTS    FOLLOWING    MY    RELEASE.  3OI 

would  have  been  at  Leghorn  before  this  time.  This 
day  Mr.  Caldwell  read  me  a  part  of  his  journal,  and 
declared  to  me  that  on  September  5th  Capt.  Alex- 
ander Murray,  of  the  U.  S.  Frigate  Constellation, 
went  on  board  the  French  admiral's  ship  with  a  boat's 
crew  and  officer  in  Tunis  bay  and  staid  on  board  of 
said  ship  above  one  hour;  that  Mr.  Charles  Stewart, 
his  first  lieutenant,  had  communication  with  Mr. 
Eaton  in  Tunis  bay  on  the  7th  inst.;  and  that  on  the 
loth  on  his  arrival  at  Palermo  he  reported  the  Frigate 
directly  from  Malta,  and  pawned  his  honor  that  he 
had  no  communication  with  any  vessel,  nor  had  he 
touched  at  any  port  since  he  left  there.  Mr.  Cald- 
well likewise  informed  me  that  a  seaman  by  the  name 
of  John  Thomas,  having  accidentally  fallen  into  the 
sea  from  one  of  the  tops,  when  the  Constellation 
was  going  eight  knots  with  a  free  wind  and  smooth 
water,  Capt.  Murray  would  not  allow  the  ship  to  be 
rounded  to,  nor  the  jolly  boat  dropped  in  order  to 
save  him.  So  much  for  Capt.  Murray's  honor  and 
humanity.  Lieutenants  Stewart  and  Caldwell  have 
further  informed  me  that  the  whole  of  the  nine  gun- 
boats of  Tripoli  where  in  the  power  of  the  Constel- 
lation, when  Capt.  Murray  gave  over  firing  at  them; 
that  his  officers  making  some  observations  he  said: 
"What  is  the  use  of  killing  the  poor  fellows?"  and 
that  constantly  vessels  were  going  in  and  out  of 
Tripoli  without  being  examined,  for  fear  of  his  hav- 
ing to  perform  quarantine;  that  on  his  seeing  vessels, 
however  suspicious  they  might  appear,  he  would  not 
chase  them  for  the  same  reason.  The  journals  of 
those  officers  ought  to   be    called    for   by  the    navy 


302  THE    CAPTIVES. 

department,  to  which  I  refer  government  for  more 
particular  information  on  this  and  other  subjects 
worthy  of  notice.  At  2  p.  m.  saw  the  high  land 
above  Toulon,  bearing  E.  by  N.  distance  five  leagues, 
and  the  point  at  the  entrance  of  Marseilles  N.  W., 
distance  eight  or  nine  leagues.  The  land  above 
Toulon  appears  nearly  insulated.  The  eastermost 
part  is  high  and  nearly  perpendicular  and  there  runs 
down  in  a  long  point  to  the  westward.  The  land 
about  Marseilles  at  this  distance  appears  low  and 
broken.  At  4  was  boarded  by  a  boat  from  the  Brit- 
ish Frigate  Narcissus,  Ross  Dudlass,  commander. 
She  being  in  company  with  the  Sea  Horse;  no  news. 
lOth,  at  daylight  the  Islands  of  Heros  near  Toulon 
bore  N.  E.  distance  of  four  leagues.  nth,  the 
Island  of  Gorgona  bore  N.  E.  by  E.  distance  four 
leagues.  12th,  steered  E.  by  N.  At  8  a.  m., 
anchored  in  six  fathoms  water;  the  Maloria  bearing 
west  two  and  one-half  miles  and  the  light  house 
bearing  S.  E.  by  E.  three  or  four  miles  distance  S. 
S.  W.;  fresh  gales  and  pleasant  weather.  At  9:30 
A.  M.,  came  on  shore  in  a  heavy  gale  at  west.  It 
blew  so  hard  and  the  sea  ran  so  high  that  I  advised 
Lieut.  Carrol  to  stay  on  shore  at  the  Lazeretto  all 
night.  I  wrote  to  the  Governor  and  requested  him 
to  shorten  our  quarantine.  13th,  the  Captain  of  the 
Lazeretto  informed  me  that  the  Governor  presented 
his  respects  and  would  give  us  practique  in  the 
morning.  14th  left  the  Lazeretto.  Saturday  31st 
March,  1804,  set  out  from  Leghorn  and  arrived  at 
Florence  at  10  the  same  night,  slept  at  Schneider's 
and  set  out  for  Sienna  on  the  ist  of  April,  where  we 


EVENTS    FOLLOWING    MY    RELEASE.  3O3 

arrived  at  sunset,  supped  and  set  off  at  lO  p.  m.,  and 
at  9  p.  M.  the  next  night,  2nd  of  April,  we  arrived  at 
Montefidescone  where  we  slept,  and  set  off  for  Rome 
on  the  3rd,  where  we  arrived  about  sunset  and  were 
conducteid,  by  a  sentry,  to  the  Custom  house.  Put 
up  at  Mons.  Damons,  one  of  the  best  hotels  in  Rome, 
where  we  found  but  very  indifferent  accommodations. 
This  evening  wrote  to  Naples  and  determined  to 
wait  the  return  of  post;  on  the  gth  inst.  wrote  to  my 
family;  this  is  the  third  letter  I  have  sent  home  since 
I  left  Leghorn.  4th,  commenced  viewing  the  antiqui- 
ties of  Rome,  which  surpasses  any  idea  you  could 
possibly  form  of  them  and  render  a  few  days  obser- 
vation both  agreeable  and  edifying.  The  whole  of 
our  expenses  from  Leghorn  to  Rome  amounts  to 
107  crowns  and  three  pauls.  The  postmen  are  so 
amazingly  imposing,  for  several  posts  they  obliged 
us  to  take  six  horses,  and  from  the  time  we  left 
Florence  until  we  arrived  at  Rome  we  had  never 
less  than  four.  At  Sienna  we  remained  over  an  hour 
disputing  with  the  postmaster,  but  all  to  no  purpose, 
we  were  obliged  to  take  four  horses  or  remain 
stationary.  Tuesday,  loth  of  April  at  7  a.  m.,  we  set 
off  for  Naples,  having  agreed  with  a  voiturino  to 
take  us  there  for  forty-two  crowns  and  find  us  beds 
and  one  meal  a  day.  Slept  a  few  hours  at  Casa 
Nova;  set  off  at  3  a.  m.  Wednesday  rested  a  few 
hours  at  Molaoda  Gaetta;  set  off  at  2  a.  m.  and  re- 
freshed at  Capua  and  arrived  at  Naples  at  7  p.  m. 
Went  to  the  Sun  but  found  it  full  and  were  obliged 
to  put  up  at  the  Dover  Castle;  saw  the  Consul  this 
evening;  my  clothes  being  on  board  a  vessel  whose 


304 


THE    CAPTIVES. 


quarantine  does  not  expire  until  Sunday,  I  cannot 
visit  the  Minister  before  Monday.  Sunday  I  dined 
with  Mr.  Degen  at  his  country  seat  from  which  there 
is  a  most  beautiful  prospect. 

Monday.  The  Minister,  Sir  John  Acton,  on  the 
Consul's  applying  for  an  audience  appointed  7 
o'clock  this  evening. 


k^^;^^ 


CHAPTER  XXL 

January  ist,  1805.  Embarked  on  board  the  ship 
Mercury  of  Wiscasset,  Maine,  with  my  wife  and  four 
children,  the  eldest  Eliza  Woodside,  born  in 
Tripoli,  Amelia  Humphreys,  George,  Latimer  and 
Mary  Anne — the  last  three  born  in  Leghorn.  We 
sailed  at  2  p.  m.;  the  Island  of  Gorgora  bore  east 
distant  ane  league;  steady  breezes  and  pleasant;  at 
8  p.  M.  the  southern  part  of  Corsica  bore  S.  W.  by 
S.  distance  four  leagues.  Friday  5th,  pleasant  breezes; 
at  10  A.  M.  Island  of  Majorca  distant  four  and  one- 
half  leagues.  Saturday,  the  Island  was  distant  seven 
leagues;  at  7  a.  m.  made  the  Island  of  Ivica  VV. 
six  leagues  distant;  Monday  bad  weather;  Tues- 
day more  pleasant;  Wednesday  9th,  stormy  breezes, 
at  midnight  very  squally;  at  8  a.  m.  made  Cape 
de  Gatt  N.  W.  four  leagues;  at  9  very  heavy 
squalls  of  wind  and  hail  at  11  the  wind  was  all 
around  the  compass,  the  sea  running  in  every 
direction.  We  were  taken  aback  in  a  heavy  squall 
which  stove  in  our  cabin  window  and  we  shipped  in 
a  great  deal  of  water.  Our  situation  was'  critical, 
fortunately  the  dead  lights  were  gotten  in,  and  way 
was  got  on  the  ship  by  the  exertion  of  Capt.  McCray 
sooner  than  we  had  reason  to  expect.  Thursday 
loth,  still  continues  stormy,  very  cross  sea  owing  to 


306  THE    CAPTIVES. 

the  current;  at  lO  a.  m.  made  the  Rock  of  Gibraltar; 
next  day  stormy  breezes;  at  i  p.  m.  spoke  the  Mary 
of  Boston,  bound  to  Marseilles;  saw  in  Tangier  a 
ship  of  the  line  and  a  Frio^ate.  nth,  was  hailed  by  a 
British  Frigate  to  the  eastward  of  the  Rock,  but  not 
detained.  The  Captain  informed  me  that  the  United 
States  Frigates  Essex  and  John  Adams  were  at  Gib- 
raltar. Saw  a  ship  of  the  line — did  not  speak  her. 
We  experienced  stormy  weather  until  the  i8th; 
Made  the  Island  of  Teneriffe  and  hauled  in  for  Santa 
Cruz;  A  boat  came  off  from  the  health  officer  who 
examined  us  and  took  our  bill  of  health  on  shore 
endorsed,  and  a  note  from  Mr.  Anthony  Powers, 
American  agent  there,  with  a  goat  and  kid,  eggs  and 
a  demijohn  of  vinegar,  for  which  we  paid  25  Spanish 
dollars;  we  could  not  get  fresh  meat,  fish,  vegetables 
or  fruit,  as  this  Island  is  supplied  by  the  Grand 
Canary  and  there  has  been  no  arrivals  for  some  time. 
February  ist,  just  a  month  since  we  left  Leghorn, 
bad  weather  has  made  it  tedious.  13th,  light  airs  and 
pleasant  weather;  at  3  p.  m.  spoke  the  Brig  Alert, 
Capt.  Rollins,  of  Portsmouth,  N.  H..  out  7  days  from 
St.  Vincents,  bound  to  the  above  place;  sent  a  boat 
aboard  with  mate  and  four  hands,  Craig,  Osborn, 
Martin  and  Sommers,  to  purchase  necessaries.  While 
the  boat  was  along  side  the  brig,  Craig  held  up  a  tin 
pot  and  called  to  Capt.  McCray  in  an  impertinent 
manner,  and  then  drank  to  him.  When  they  re- 
turned Martin  and  Craig  abused  the  captain,  which 
induced  him  to  order  Martin  below.  Craig  being  in 
the  boat,  he  was  ordered  to  drop  her  astern.  He 
made  an  insolent   reply   and   the   captain   answered: 


EVENTS    FOLLOWING    MY    RELEASE.  307 

"I  will  talk  to  you  when  you  come  on  board."  Then 
answered  Craig,  "You  will  have  to  do  with  all  hands." 
When  the  boat  was  hoisted  up  the  captain  took  Craig 
by  the  collar,  who  immediately  struck  the  captain 
and  cut  him  under  the  eye.  The  mate  assisted  the 
captain  and  Craig  went  forward  and  cursed  all  the 
crew  for  not  assisting  him  against  the  captain, 
abused  me  very  much  for  assuring  him,  and  the  rest, 
that  I  would  assist  the  captain  to  quell  any  rebellion 
or  mutinous  proceeding  of  himself  and  crew,  as 
likewise  did  Mr.  Heise,  another  passenger,  who  was 
also  abused  by  Martin,  Craig  and  Sommers;  but 
Sommers  went  forward  upon  my  remonstrating  with 
him  upon  the  folly  of  his  conduct.  About  8  p.  m.  I 
heard  a  noise  upon  deck  and  found  it  was  occasioned 
by  Martin  striking  the  captain,  whose  coat  was  torn. 
The  mate  assisted  the  captain,  and  Martin  having 
said,  that  if  the  ship's  company  were  all  of  his  mind, 
that  he  would  know  what  to  do  and  would  not  be 
secured.  It  was  found  necessary  to  tie  him  to  the 
weather  quarter  rail,  lest  he  should  corrupt  the  rest 
of  the  people.  He  took  out  his  knife  and  cut  him- 
self clear.  The  mate  tied  him  again,  he  going  on  in 
a  continuous  strain  of  insolence  and  mutinous  lan- 
guage, tending  to  excite  the  rest  of  the  crew  to  re- 
bellion and  insurrection.  Next  day  at  5  p.  m.,  was 
boarded  by  the  British  Frigate  Mermaid,  Capt. 
Hollis,  brig  Alert  still  in  company.  Martin  and 
Craig,  while  the  Frigate  was  alongside,  came  up  on 
deck  and  helped  to  shorten  sail — no  further  account 
of  insurrection.  Tuesday,  26th  February,  spoke  the 
Josephine  from  New  York  bound  to  Charleston,  S.  C. 


308  THE    CAPTIVES. 

out  twenty-four  hours;  several  sail  in  sight  standing 
to  southward.  At  8  a.  m.  made  the  land  a  little  to 
the  northward  of  Little  Egg  harbor.  Wednesday, 
beating  to  windward  between  Little  Egg  harbor  and 
Sandy  Hook;  at  2  p.  m.  made  Sandy  Hook.  Next 
day  got  a  pilot  and  stood  up  the  fair  way  for  New 
York;  at  8  a.  m.,  anchored  off  the  north  battery — 
Dr.  Rodgers,  the  health  officer,  came  on  board,  in  a 
hard  snow  storm,  examined  the  ship's  company  and 
gave  us  practique,  but  we  could  not  go  ashore  on 
account  of  bad  weather.  March  ist,  1805,  engaged 
lodgings  at  Mrs.  Anthony's  and  took  my  family 
there  at  2  p.  m.  2nd,  busy  all  day  at  the  Custom 
house;  landed  part  of  our  baggage  and  visited  the 
Bogerts.  7th,  went  to  Flat  Bush  with  all  my  family 
and  stayed  with  Mrs.  Bancker,  my  "wife's  grand- 
mother, and  Mrs.  Vansinderin  a  week.  22nd,  left 
New  York  for  Philadelphia.  24th,  arrived  at 
Philadelphia  and  found  our  friends  all  well.  Friday, 
29th,  left  and  arrived  the  next  day  at  Balti- 
more; staid  there  all  day  and  on  Monday  the  ist  of 
April  left  Baltimore  and  arrived  at  Washington  at 
8  p.  M. ;  found  our  relatives  in  good  health.  Thus  ends 
this  voyage  which  we  performed  in  three  months 
exactly  and  I  expended  in  that  period  ;^i,38o. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

We  resided  on  West  Street,  Georgetown,  until  I 
was  appointed  Consul  to  Madeira.  My  son,  James 
Leander,  was  born  in  Georgetown  January  31,  1807. 
We  sailed  in  the  brig  Louisa,  Capt.  McNamara, 
May  2ist.  Left  Washington  at  11  a.  m.;  arrived  at 
Alexandria  at  3  p.  m.;  put  up  at  Gadsby's  hotel; 
dined  at  Capt.  Slocum's.  The  23d,  at  9  a.  m.,  em- 
barked and  sailed  direct  for  Madeira.  Sunday  24th, 
at  7  p.  M.,  cleared  the  Potomac.  Monday  25th,  at 
meridian  passed  Cape  Henry  and  saw  the  Wasp  in 
Hampton  Roads  and  passed  four  British  men  of  war 
in  Lynn  Haven  Bay;  fair  weather  and  several  sail  in 
sight. 

Thursday,  nth  of  June.  From  our  departure  we 
have  had  very  fine  weather.  Madeira  bears  from  the 
ship  1205  miles.  The  weather  has  been  so  fine  that 
there  is  no  observation  to  be  made.  As  we  have 
only  handled  top  gallant  sails  once  since  we  left  the 
capes.  14th,  caught  two  sea  turtle  and  showed  my 
family  around  the  vessel.  Wednesday  17th,  fresh 
gales  to  the  N.  E.  Handled  top  gallant  sails  and 
single  reefed  the  top  sails  for  the  first  time  this  pas- 
sage. Thursday  i8th,  made  the  north  end  of  Ma- 
deira, bearing  east  distance  ten  leagues;  made  sail  and 
anchored  in  Funchal  Roads  at  3  p.  m.  At  5  went 
ashore  at  Mr.  Foster's  house,  being  just  twenty- 
eight  days  from  the  city  of  Washington,  twenty-six 
from  Alexandria  and  twenty-four  from  the  capes. 


310  THE    CAPTIVES. 

June  26th,  1807.  Moved  the  family  to  the  Quin- 
ta  de  descanso,  a  summer  residence,  an  elevated 
situation.  The  winter  season  we  occupied  our  resi- 
dence in  Funchal,  the  capital  of  the  Island.  Spring 
and  Autumn  rain  continually  and  produce  fruits  and 
flowers  throughout  the  year.  Many  brooks  and 
small  rivulets  descend  from  the  mountains  in  deep 
chasms  or  glens,  which  separate  the  various  parts  of 
the  Island.  The  water  is  conducted  by  channels  into 
the  vineyards.  The  Cedar  tree  is  found  in  great 
abundance,  and  most  of  the  ceilings  and  furniture, 
at  Madeira,  are  made  of  that  wood  and  are  exceed- 
ingly beautiful  as  well  as  fragrant.  The  hedges  are 
mostly  formed  of  the  myrtle,  rose,  jessamine  and 
honeysuckle,  while  the  larkspur,  Fleur  de  Lis,  lapin, 
etc.,  spring  up  spontaneously  in  the  meadows. 
There  are  very  few  reptiles  to  be  seen  on  this  island, 
canary  birds  and  gold  finches  being  found  in  the 
mountains.  We  remained  in  Madeira  over  eight 
years,  during  a  period  of  embargo,  non-intercourse 
and  war,  the  Island  being  in  possession  of  the 
English,  public  animosity  did  not  prevent  us  from 
procuring  provisions.  The  children  attended  a 
school  taught  by  an  English  lady,  to  whom  they 
were  much  attached,  and  who  gave  them  pretty  fair 
opportunities  for  improvement,  and  when  we  left  the 
Island  they  parted  with  us  with  great  reluctance. 
Three  of  our  children  were  born  on  this  island — 
Charles  William,  Jane  Bancker  and  John  Philadel- 
phus.  We  left  Madeira  for  Washington,  D.  C.  I 
was  riext  appointed  Consul  to  Cadiz.  I  went  a  year 
in  advance  of  my  family. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

Cadiz  is  a  large  city.  The  streets  are  narrow  but 
cleanly.  You  would  be  astonished  at  the  perfect 
neatness  of  the  appearance  of  the  white  plastered 
houses.  One  charm  Cadiz  did  possess  the  "Sea,  the 
wide  open  sea."  The  Alameda,  the  public  walk,  was 
pleasantly  situated  and  presented  a  fine  view.  The 
roads  were  full  of  ships  and  many  sails  of  different 
nations  waved  from  them.  Cadiz  has  an  exceeding 
large  and  elegant  Casino,  where  you  can  find  an 
assortment  of  home  and  foreign  newspapers.  The 
bath  houses  are  a  great  luxury,  and  many  ladies  are 
expert  swimmers.  My  son,  Henry  Nassau,  was  born 
in  Cadiz.  Returned  to  Washington  in  1817 — this 
being  my  last  appointment  abroad.  My  son,  Edward 
Preble,  was  born  in  Georgetown,  D.  C.  Thomas 
Jefferson  in  Washington,  D.  C.  Of  twelve  children 
only  three  were  born  in  the  United  States.  Was 
United  States  agent  in  Louisiana  one  year— after- 
wards offered  a  position  in  Second  Comptroller's 
office. 

THE    CAPTIVE    SLAVE. 

The  captive  struggled,  strongly  bound, 
He  spent  his  utmost  strength  in  vain; 

Lifting  his  proud  head  from  the  ground 
H^  hurled  upon  them  his  disdain. 

Come  on  ye  hellish,  rabble  crew, 

Ye  hunt  my  life  and  torture  plan; 
It  takes  a  hundred  dogs  like  you 

To  down  a  single  valiant  man. 


312  THE     CAPTIVES. 

But  when  the  stench  comes  from  that  fire 
And  westward  floats  with  windy  gust, 

A  nation's  wrath  with  vengeance  dire, 
Shall  make  you  shrivel  into  dust. 

My  country  great,  with  outspread  arm 
Shall  smite  you  with  its  mighty  hand; 

Shall  fill  such  cowards  with  alarm 
And  send  them  skulking  through  the  land. 

There  men  are  kings  and  breathe  free  air. 

Nor  bow,  nor  crawl  to  tyrant  foe; 
Ye  devil's  crew  beware,  beware, 

The  skies  are  black  with  signs  of  woe. 

The  dusky  mob  with  crafty  ear, 

Give  heed  to  his  defiant  cry 
And  seek  to  make  his  meaning  clear, 

While  smoke  and  dust  obscure  the  sky. 

They  pause  in  superstition  dread 

And  stroke  their  beards  with  dusty  hands, 

And  wisely  nods  each  turbaned  head 
As  they  obey  their  chief's  command. 

Relaxing  hands  relieve  the  strain 
Of  thongs  that  gall  each  bleeding  arm. 

While  whispered  words  of  ransom  gain. 
And  dreams  of  gold  their  visions  charm. 

The  gleams  of  flame  made  hideous  play 
With  fitful  light  on  all  around; 
.    They  lead  their  blistered  slave  away 
With  bloody  track  upon  the  ground. 

And  the  great  gusts  of  wind  and  rain 
Obscures  the  scene,  blots  out  the  blaze; 

Allah  is  great!  is  their  refrain, 

The  captive  lifts  his  head  in  grace. 

—J.  Y.  P. 

[NOTE.  — The  practice  of  burning  at  the  stake  being  so  common  in 
Algiers,  suggested  these  lines  by  Mrs.  Jennie  Yates  Peabody,  the  wife  of 
Dr.  Peabody,  grandson  of  James  Leander  Cathcart,  who,  while  a  prisoner, 
had  been  threatened  to  be  burned  at  the  stake,  being  beheaded,  etc.,  etc.] 

FINIS. 


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